Bite the Bullet: Part 2
by BattleshipTorres
Summary: SSA Arizona Robbins is back in action. Married with two kids, Arizona seems to have the perfect life. Superhero by day, loving mother and wife by night. But what will happen when Arizona gets too close to catching a Mob boss and he comes after her family?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: This is AU. I do not own any of the characters from Grey's Anatomy. I just manipulate them to my will. Also, any line or phrase or setting that seems remotely familiar from any other show, movie or book, also not mine.

AN: SSA Arizona Robbins is back. What kind of trouble will she be getting into this time? Let's check it out. Fair Warning: Updates will not come daily. Sorry Otherwise… Enjoy!

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><p>Chapter 1<p>

…_Push, Robbins, push. _A deep breath and I hurdle myself over a fence in two bounds. Grabbing the top railing, I haul myself over, momentum throwing me to the ground but I tuck and roll, the next second back on my feet and giving chase again.

"Stop! FBI!" I call after my fleeing suspect again, but he doesn't care. He's running, so I run after him. …_why do they always run? _"Stop!" I yell after him, my gun clenching in my right hand, radio in my left.

"**Robbins, what's your 20?" **My partner chirps over the radio. My lungs are burning as I push myself harder than I have in years. …_damn, this fucker is fast._ Skidding around a corner, I see him 20 yards ahead of me, barreling down a vacated alleyway.

"Heading south, alleyway between Chester and Brennan." I shout between ragged breathes into the radio. My boots pound against the pavement, my strides even as I push myself onwards. The man running from me knows he is running for his life, because if I get a hold of him, he is going to prison. And he doesn't have a lot of friends in prison. Barreling into traffic, tires screech as they avoid hitting the fleeing suspect. I bolt into traffic not three seconds later, more tires screeching as I narrowly avoid getting clipped by a motorcycle.

"STOP!" I yell again, even though I know its going to do no good. …_jesus, what is this guy on? !_ Down another alley way, barreling through trash, sending up fresh rain water at every stride. …_I do NOT get paid enough for this shit. _I see him enter an abandoned building 15 yards up. Skidding to a halt at the entrance, I raise my weapon and take a breath.

"Suspect entered abandoned building…" I look around for a landmark, trying to help direct my partner to my location. "Half a block south of Chester and Victorian intersection."

"**Copy that." **The voice on the other end of the radio crackles. Another breath and I kick the door open, the heavy metal swinging back and slamming against the wall. My eyes are on alert, ears tuned in for the slightest noise. Movement from a floor above me makes me bolt up the stairs. Feet are scaling the floors effortlessly. …_are you serious? _So I follow, one floor, then another, then another. My lungs are past gone, they are totally spent, but years and years of being the Marines, then even more years of running hard 'just for fun' has given me stamina beyond normal runners. I push myself, knowing that eventually this guy will get tired and slip up. …_hopefully I'll still be hot on his tail when that happens._ Getting to the top of the six story building, I raise my weapon and scan the hallway. Sweat is dripping down my forehead, the cotton shirt and blend jacket I have on does little to wick my moisture off my body. …_so much for a simple home visit. Now I'm chasing this asshole all over Seattle. _I move slowly down one direction of the hall, then I hear the crash of glass from one behind one of the closed doors. I try to open the door, but it won't budge.

"Fuck!" I yell, and slam my shoulder into the wood. It just laughs at my effort. Taking a step back, I raise my knee and give it a powerful kick, making the wooden frame around the lock crack. One more kick and wood splinters fly as the door swings back. Running over to the shattered window, I look down the fire escape, the perp only two floors down.

"You've got to be kidding me." I growl, and push myself through the window. The fire escape is old, creaking at every movement, but I have to trust it if I am going to gain any ground on this perp that I'm chasing. When his feet hits the pavement after jumping from the second story onto the top of a dumpster, then hopping down, he looks back up and sees I'm still on the chase.

"Jesus…" He growls, then takes off again. I follow his path, vaulting over the railing of the second story, landing on top of a dumpster with a loud clang, then hopping off. I can hear the sirens of my back up, meaning the guy I am chasing is going to start taking bigger risks in trying to avoid us.

"Stick to the streets. I don't need to get crowded in these alleyways." I huff into the radio between strides.

"**Copy that."**

I run as fast as my tired body will take me, slowing slightly but the suspect is slowing as well so I'm not falling behind any. …_come on Robbins, dig deep. You've been trailing this guy for a year. Today you're going to slap the cuffs on him._ A surge of energy, and I push myself even faster. I see the guy take a sharp right and cut through a public park, interrupting a game of basketball and kids playing on the playground.

"FBI! Stay back!" I yell, not wanting anyone to get in the way of a dangerous, spooked, and cornered man. Every stops and stares as we fly through the courts and onto grassy area. Hitting sidewalk again, he heads into the busy area of this section of the city.

"Backup, suspect turned West into SoSea." I reply, having to slow slightly to work my way through the crowds. Still able to make out the back of my fleeing suspects head, I keep trailing him.

"**Copy that. Backup on scene." **

Seeing him take a right at the next block, I follow, pulling my weapon again as he moves away from the usual foot traffic, into the more sketchy area of this part of Seattle. I've cut my tail from 10 yards to 5 yards, and I know he can feel me nipping at his heels.

"Give up Frankie! Your ass is mine!" I yell after him. "What's wrong, don't you want to see all your buddies in prison? I'm sure they'd love to see you again." Taunting him makes me feel stronger, urging my body on down the nearly deserted street. He takes a hard left in between two worn down brownstones. Skidding against the concrete, I turn and continue my chase, bolting between the two buildings. As I get to the corner of the building, I go to round it, just like I saw the suspect do not five seconds ago, when movement out of the corner of my eye makes me bring up my left hand to guard my face just intime to block a 4 by 4 being swung. A loud popping noise, and I feel a snap within my wrist. The surprise of it makes me fall back, my gun goes flying, my radio rattling as it skids across the pavement.

"Your ass is mine." Frankie growls, uttering the same words I used to taunt him. He raises the 4 by 4 above him and brings it down with force. I'm able to roll away just as it hits the concrete and splinters. Back on my feet, I assume a fighting stance. In the flash of an eye, this chase has turned into a hand to hand fight. Reaching behind him, he pulls out a switch blade, my throat going dry. …_make that hand to knife fight. _He lunges and I side step him, kicking his hand making him drop the blade.

Knowing my suspect inside out, I know he is a fighter. Like…an actual fighter. So, this isn't going to be an easy win. …_get him down as fast as possible._ He swings wide and I duck, another swing, another duck. My wrist is screaming at me, telling me I no doubt broke it. He reaches forward, grabbing me around the neck and slamming me against the bricks of the brown stone.

"You did all this, just to die within an arms grasp…" He sneers, his grip around me neck tightening. …_focus Robbins, focus._ Using what little strength I have left, I bring a foot up to his center, making his grip weaken around my throat. I grab his wrist, turn and push him into the building, bring his hands behind his back.

"Frankie O'Neal, you have the right to remain silent-" I start reading his Miranda rights, thinking I won this round, but Frankie has a different plan. An elbow to the side of my head makes me falter, losing my wrist lock on the man. Once again, its hand to hand. He swings, just clipping my jaw as I bring a hard right against his nose. I can feel it break under my knuckles as blood spills from it. A voice is crackling non-stop from my lost radio, looking for my location to back me up, but I can't get to it. Atlease not without turning my back to the huge man and I am not about to chance that. Another swing, and I see my opening. Blocking with my bad arm, I grab his shoulder with my good hand, swing him over my shoulder, bringing him down hard onto the pavement. His left leg comes down on to a large concrete block and the snap I hear makes my stomach roll. …_atleast he won't be running anymore._ Just then, a dark undercover police sedan pulls up outside the two brown buildings, back up tracking down my location. I am just getting the cuffs on the perp, who is screaming like a baby about his broken leg, when my partner runs out from between the two buildings, weapon drawn.

Holstering her weapon, she looks down as I finish reading the suspect his rights and cuffing him. "Nice work Robbins…" She says.

I look up, my face encrusted with sweat and dirt and the guys blood. "Thanks Teddy." I breathe out. "Call in a bus. He's going to need medical treatment before we can book him." I say, sitting back on the ground, taking a well deserved break. …_jesus, that was too hard. I'm getting too old for this shit._

"SSA Theodora Altman, I need a bus at 1123 S Casey St." Teddy says into her phone as she collects my gun and radio from the alleyway. "ETA?" She asks, rolling the suspect over onto his back and pulling him up to sit against the wall next to me. "Copy that." She hangs up and squats in front of the cuffed man, sneering at him.

"How you doing, Frankie?" She asks, pulling up the material of his pant leg. Even I can see the bone is broken.

"Fucking bitch broke my leg. I'm suing both your asses." He spits at us. We just throw our heads back and laugh.

"It's called probable cause." I say dryly as I stand and brush myself off with my good hand, my left arm remaining close to my body to prevent any movement.

"Oh yea? And what's the cause?" He asks.

"You trying to nail me in the dome with a 4 by 4. You tried to kill me, old friend…" I say, squatting in front of the man. "I could have easily returned the favor, but I figure your friends in the pen would love to see you. I didn't want to deprive them of that pleasure." The sound of a distant siren pulls Teddy and I away from the man.

Once the cuffed guy has been restrained to the ambulances gurney, Teddy turns to me and asks "You let him get the drop on you?" Pulling my left arm away from me, I flinch when my wrist bends. …_ow, fuck, yeah it's broken._

"Well, if I had half way decent back up, maybe he wouldn't have gotten his hands on that 4 by 4." I shoot back at her.

"Maybe if SOMEONE…" She points to me "…could learn her streets better, then SOMEONE…" She points back at herself "…could provide timely backup." She meets my glare dagger for dagger.

"Maybe if SOMEONE…" I point at her "would take foot duty… then SOMEONE…" I point back at myself "…could get some rest and therefore learn the proper street names."

"Foot duty? I was on foot duty and then you kicked me off!" She argues with me, "Because you said I couldn't keep up with the perp."

"You couldn't! He outpaced you within three minutes." I keep digging. To any outsider this may look like a couple of partners tearing into each other, but Teddy and I have developed this kind of working report. Teddy just waves me off as an EMT approaches me.

"Ms Robbins?" He asks.

"Agent." I correct him.

"Right, Agent Robbins, may I have a look at that wrist?" He continues. I nod and he gingerly takes my hand in his. Just the faintest of movements make me cringe in pain. "Yeah, you'll need to get that looked at."

"Why don't I just ride along. You'll need an escort anyways. I already proved I can handle that asshole with one bum hand." I reply, hopping up into the back of the bus with my cuffed friend. "You wouldn't mind if I rode with you, right Frankie?" I ask the perp, patting his bad leg which makes him scream like a little girl.

"See you at the hospital?" Teddy asks, walking to our vehicle.

"Yeah, Seattle Grace!" I call, then the doors of the ambulance close and we speed off through the city of Seattle. "Hey boys…" I get the attention of the driver. "No need to speed, this guy isn't in much of a rush to get to prison, right Frankie?" Again I pat his leg, making him groan in pain. I get a hard glare from the EMT, but I just brush it off. I've been after this asshole for more than a year, and knowing the things I know about him, knowing the things he did… he deserves alittle pain. …_he deserves more than pain. He deserves hell. _The bus slows, giving me time to brace myself to face someone who really won't be happy to see me.

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><p>AN2: Alright folks… let me hear ya. Should I keep it up? Let me know. Oh and really… this won't be a daily update, sorry. I got other things I'm working on… like a real book. Haha. Anyways, I look forward to all your reviews!<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: This is AU. I do not own any of the characters from Grey's Anatomy. I just manipulate them to my will. Also, any line or phrase or setting that seems remotely familiar from any other show, movie or book, also not mine.

AN: Ok, so I know I told you not to expect daily updates…and don't, but I had this one already finished. Enjoy! …Even all you haters out there who like to hide behind anonymity and say not so nice things. But…keep on hating. Maybe it will make you feel better about yourself.

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><p>Chapter 2<p>

"Ah… fuck!" The man cries out in the trauma room.

"Shut up!" I yell back, my own wrist throbbing like a mother. Our bus rolled up less than five minutes ago and I had to wave my badge to get my prisoner into one of the more private, and therefore safer to everyone else in the ER, trauma rooms. They paged someone from Ortho as soon as we arrived but things take time in a hospital. So now me and my buddy, Frankie, are chilling out. He's still cuffed to the bed, and I'm still armed…just in case. A buzzing in my pocket pulls me back from trying not to focus on the pain running up my arm.

"Robbins." I answer.

"**Hey, me."** Teddy replies. **"You got pretty boy covered?"**

"Yeah, he's not going anywhere." I reply, giving the cuffed man a sneer.

"**Alright, I may be a little while longer. Apparently your pleasant jog across Park Ave caused a couple fender benders and the Director wants me to go handle the local uni's."** I can almost hear the disdain in her voice. Fed's and the local Seattle Police Department don't like to play nice with each other.

"Alright, keep me updated."

"**10-4" **And the line goes dead. Standing from the counter I was sitting on, I give my prisoner a hard look and knock on the door, getting the attention of the uniformed officer outside.

"Yes, ma'am?" He asks, poking his head in.

"Watch him, I'm need to talk to the doctor." I reply, slipping out and changing places with the armed police man. He nods and takes post just within the door; hand on his holster just in case the guy tries anything funny.

"Arizona?" A voice calls out from my left. My head snaps up and immediately a smile crosses my face when I see her. …_damn she makes navy scrubs look hot._ But my smile isn't mirrored on her own face, instead worry and concern.

"Are you why they paged?" She asks, walking up to me. I take her by the arm and pull her out of sight of the man still cuffed to the gurney. "What happened?" She asks, taking in the slight swelling in my face and the blood and dirt on my shirt and suit. Then her eyes drift to the way I'm holding my left arm close to me. "Jesus…Arizona. Again?" She growls. This isn't the first time I've come into her ER with a broken bone or cut that needs stitching up. And each time she gets more and more angry.

"Calliope…" I try to soothe the very fiery Latina.

"No, don't Calliope me. You told me you weren't in the field anymore." She says, meeting my stare dagger for dagger.

"I'm not." I say. She grabs my left hand and I nearly jump through the roof in pain. "Fuck! Jesus… Callie look, this was simple house call. Knock on a few doors, ask a few questions. Then he ran."

"So you chased him." Callie continues. I nod.

"Look… That's not why I pulled you aside." I reply, getting back to the matter at hand. "I needed to talk to you about the guy you got paged here for. When we go in there, we aren't married. Ok? I don't know you, you don't know me. Its Dr. Torres, and Agent Robbins."

"Why?" She asks, never having to do this before.

"Because… he's not a nice guy. He uhhh… I just don't want him to know there is anything between us. And he knows he is going to jail so he has nothing to lose… I don't want him to get any funny ideas." I say, looking around the corner to make sure the guard is still ok. "Better safe than sorry."

"What did he do?" She asks, her voice softening.

"Some not nice things. Really, babe, you don't want to know. …I would rather not know." I reply, pulling at the bottom of her scrub top. "Now… I'm going to go replace the uniformed officer. Wait a minute or two before coming in, ok?" She nods, her face softening. I smile and stand on my tip toes and place a soft kiss on her lips. Giving her a wink, I pull my FBI mask back over my face and enter the room.

"Thanks, officer. I got it from here." I say, and the uni slips back out into the hall, taking his post just outside the door. Turning back to the man in pain, I can see murder in his eyes. …_give me a reason, and I'll gladly put a bullet between your eyes._

"When the fuck is the doctor getting here?" He growls as a fresh wave a pain runs up his body. His face is a mess, dried blood and dirt plastered to him after a hard right hook of mine. His lower leg is sticking out at an odd angle, no doubt hurting like a son of a bitch. …_I know my wrist is killing me._

"Jesus… who do I have to fuck to get some drugs…" He moans.

Leaning back against the counter, never moving my eyes from the man, I reply "You don't get any drugs. Can't have you going to county all drugged up." I smile as he growls and pulls at the cuffs on the gurney railings. Just then, the door opens and in walks a confident Ortho goddess/Attending. It takes all I have not to seem interested in my wife, but I have a stone cold killer in front of me, and I don't need to give him any information about us.

"Mr…O'Neal?" Callie says, looking at the chart. She just gets a growl in response. "I'll take that as a yes. Alright…" Walking over to the light board, she places an x-ray of his leg up. …_god that's gross._ My whole body shivers as I see the very obvious break.

"I'll need to set the bone, and get a cast on you." Callie says, not making eye contact with my prisoner. She pulls on her gloves and tries to push up the pant leg when the guy acts out, kicking and flailing, trying to injure Callie…_my wife. _Before I know it, I am off the counter and across the room in two strides. Using my right hand, I place my thumb against his nose and lay my hand just under his left eye, getting a good grip on the very sensitive area, then push.

"AHHHHH!" He yells loud enough for the whole hospital to hear.

"Sit still or I will give you a few more broken bones for Dr. Torres to reset." I growl.

"Fuck you." He spits between clenched teeth. I push harder against his broken nose.

"Don't fuck with me, Frankie. If you don't let this nice doctor set your leg, I'll do it myself and you'll end up walking like a gimp for the rest of your life… short as it may be." I say, looking him dead in the eye.

"Agent Robbins…" Callie warns me, but I don't let go of his nose. "Agent Robbins, that's enough. This is my patient."

"He is MY prisoner." I meet my wife's stare dead on, then turn back to the cringing man beneath me. "Now… do we have an understanding, Frankie?" He hesitates, so I give him an ounce more of pressure, making him scream again. I feel a restraining hand on my arm from my wife but I ignore. "I asked… are we clear?"

"Yes! Fuck. Yes!" He finally folds. As I let go of his nose, his body relaxes after the strain of such intense pain for so long. I turn and meet Callie's glare, but I just shrug it off. …_really, he had it coming._ After examining the break beneath his flesh, Callie moves to the medicine drawer to get some relief for the guy when she catches my eye. I give an almost unperceivable shake of the head and she stops. …_no drugs._

Turning back to the prisoner, Callie grasps the man's leg firmly, one more check at the x-ray, and says "Ok, Mr. O'Neal. This might hurt alittle bit." With that, I turn my head just in time to miss the quick twist of her strong hands, but I hear the pop of the bone falling back in place, followed quickly by a cry of pain that makes my blood run cold. Frankie doesn't like this much and starts to fight against his restraints, so I am back across the room in a split second, my hand gripping the material of the man's shirt and pushing him back against the bed.

"Settle down." I growl at him. I can see the pain course through his eyes, pleading for relief. …_you're not getting off that easy. You get off on the pain remember? …oh wait, that's other people's pain. Well, now you get a taste of your own medicine._ Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Callie approach the guys face to fix his nose. I give her a nod, saying I got him and she quickly pinches the prisoners nose, a quick pop, and its back in place.

"Bitch!" He yells out, a fresh wave of pain rolling through his body. He tries to lunge forward, to either head butt Callie or bite her, I don't know which, but it doesn't matter. My hand on his shirt moves to his neck and I shove him back down onto the bed, really wishing I had two good hands right now.

"Settle down, asshole." I say, trying to hold him in place as he reacts to the pain still coursing through his leg and face.

"Robbins." A voice calls from behind Callie and I. Glancing over my shoulder, I see my back up has arrived. …_as usual, just as the hard part is over._

"Agent Altman, how about you take care of our friend while I get a look at Agent Robbins wrist." Callie says in her determined, monotone voice. As we exit, Callie points one of her residents to the trauma room to cast the man up and discharge him into FBI custody. As soon as we are out of eye sight of my catch of the day, Callie pulls me into the first vacant room and envelopes my lips with hers. We've been together for about 5 years now, and I still get dizzy whenever she kisses me like this.

"Mmmm…" I moan as her strong hands pull me in closer to her, her tongue taking liberties in my mouth. When I need air, she releases my lips, and I breathe out "So, you're not mad at me anymore?"

"No… I am." She says, a slight smile on her lips. "But… seeing you handle that guy like that is…very arousing." She says in her husky, sex filled voice.

"Really? So I should run down dangerous, hardened murders with multiple agencies after him more often?" I ask playfully. She just rolls her eyes at me and pulls me in for another kiss. I break it as my wrist is bent a fraction of a degree and pain shoots up my entire arm.

"Alright, lets get that looked at." Callie says, taking my hand in hers. Being married to the Head of Orthopedics has its perks and within ten minutes, Callie is holding up my x-ray, showing me that yes… it is indeed broken.

"You need a cast." She says, her fingers moving gingerly over to very sore area. A quick flick of her fingers, and a popping within my wrist, my body tenses as it feels like I was just struck my lightening.

"Jesus… some warning would be nice…" I say as I wipe my watering eyes.

"Hurts less when you aren't expecting it. Now… what color?" She asks, pulling out all the plaster casting materials.

"Uhh… how about you just set me up with one of those soft casts." I say, still trying to breathe through the pain.

"Uhhh, no. You're getting a hard cast." She brushes my suggestion off like I was a kid that wanted cake for breakfast instead of oatmeal.

"Calliope-"

"No, Arizona. Remember when I caved and gave you that walking cast for your broken ankle a couple years ago? You promised you would take it easy and then not three days later you are running full steam across a football field, chasing some suspect." Callie gives me the 'don't mess with me look'.

"I got him though…" I say softly, getting a chuckle out of my wife.

"Yeah yeah yeah…" Callie grumbles. Within two hours of arriving at the hospital, not only is the prisoner getting transferred to the local county lock up, but I am all fixed up, just a hard throbbing in my wrist. Surveying her work, Callie turns her attention to my other injuries. Her fingers ghost over the bruise forming on my jaw and the small gash on the side of my forehead from the perps nasty elbow to my head, along with some cement burn up and down my forearms and knees. …_nothing I haven't had before._

"What am I going to do with you?" Callie asks as I follow her into her office and taking a seat on her very plush couch. Like I said, being married to the Head of Orthopedics has its perks.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I say, avoiding her gaze. I know exactly what she is talking about.

"You took this promotion to get off the streets." She replies, taking a seat behind her desk and messing with her computer.

"All positions require some field work. …I'm not out there everyday. Just when they need the big guns." I say, stretching out on the couch, feeling my tired and sore body breathe a sigh of relief. The bulge of my gun digs into my side, so I unclip it from my belt and set it on the coffee table, along with my badge. I can feel Callie's eyes on me as I close mine, cherishing this rare moment of quiet I get in the day. Squeaking of a chair, the soft padding of Callie's shoes, and then the click of lock on her door tell me something very nice is about to happen. Then next minute, I open my eyes and see Callie lowering herself on top of me, her body stretched out in between my legs, her chest resting on mine.

"Big guns, huh?" She whispers, her lips playing against mine. Feeling her weight against me, I feel at home. My heart swells knowing that I am the only person who gets to experience this woman day in and day out. …_even if there are some days I'd rather forget about._ It seems like an eternity ago when I was JUST her bodyguard, when she was JUST a mark to me. Now she's my everything. …well, not everything but she makes up a good chunk of my heart.

"The biggest gun of them all…" I play back, getting a nip on my lower lip for my cocky attitude.

"What are we going to do about tomorrow?" She asks between passionate kisses. My mind is reeling at her touch, my body responding on its own. I have my wife all to myself, in a private, locked room, her body already right where I want her… why should I be thinking about anything but her?

"What do you mean?" I ask, seeking her lips again.

"You have that career day with Sofia…" She groans as my hands slip under her scrub top, my nails digging into her flesh as I drag them down her back, just the way she likes it.

"Yeah, what about it?" I ask, barely able to comprehend what we are talking about.

"You can't go into the school looking like you do, not with all those kids. AND all the other parents there? …They'll think I'm a wife beater or something." She says with a chuckle, then her lips are back on mine.

"I'll be fine. You're just jealous she asked me and not you to come to her school." I say, poking at a very sore spot with my wife. She pulls back from me, giving me an angry look and tries to push herself off the couch but I wrap my legs around her hips and keep her down.

"Arizona, let me go." She says in her 'I'm serious' tone.

"Nope." I say, pulling her back down and kissing her. Her act is quickly dropped as my right hand moves from her back, to under her scrub top and cupping her breast, squeezing and pinching at the restrained nipple.

"Mmm… don't start something you're not prepared to finish." She moans against my lips as her hips grind against my center.

"I have every intention of finishing." I reply, feeling the material between my legs get wetter and wetter by the second. Just as I am yanking the knot free of her pants, a buzzing from her white lab coat slung over an arm chair pulls us back to reality.

"No." I say, wrapping my legs back around her, halting her movements to get up and check her pager.

"Babe, I got to." She says, giving me another kiss. Growling, I release her. I groan as she places her hands against my body and pushes herself up. Straightening her hair and righting her top, she pulls out the pager and reads her message.

"I got to go." She says regretfully.

"Tell someone else to do it… you're the boss. Delegate." I say, licking my lips suggestively, wanting nothing more than to bring pleasure to my wife in her office.

"Sorry, babe. Sometimes I like to get my hands dirty just like you." She says, taking my one good hand and pulling me up, wrapping her arms around my waist and giving me one last parting kiss. I growl, getting another throaty chuckle from the Latina as I clip my gun back to my hip and slid my badge into my back pocket. I follow her out into the hall, closing the door behind her.

"What are you doing now?" Callie asks as I hold up her lab coat to slip over her shoulders.

"Well, Teddy's got the prisoner, so… I thought I might snag a little baby time while I'm here." I reply. Callie's eyes snap to mine, jealousy ragging in those brown depths. Giving her one last quick kiss on the lips, I turn and make my way down to hospital daycare where my son is currently spending his day.

"I hate you!" Callie calls after me.

"I love you too." I yell over my shoulder, waving my casted hand in goodbye. One last huff and my wife turns on her heel, heading towards the next major catastrophe or broken wrist or whatever. I don't care, because I'm about to see my little man, and that's all that matters right now.

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><p>AN2: Things seem good. …She is living the life.<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: This is AU. I do not own any of the characters from Grey's Anatomy. I just manipulate them to my will. Also, any line or phrase or setting that seems remotely familiar from any other show, movie or book, also not mine.

AN: Ok, another update. Enjoy!

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><p>Chapter 3<p>

"Excuse me, ma'am, can I help you?" Someone calls after me as I move past the daycare desk, my mind set on seeing my son.

"Nope." I say, knowing exactly where I am going.

"Ma'am!..." They call again, more insistent this time. I halt midstride and turn, making my jacket billow out and expose the firearm attached to my hip. The young woman behind the counter is new, never having met me before, and her eyes go wide. "Stop! Stay where you are! I'm calling security." She says shakily, reaching blindly for the phone.

"Ok…ok…" I say softly, holding my hands up. "I'm here to visit my son. Miguel Robbins-Torres. Check out his file. …I'm listed as one of his mothers. Dr. Torres, Head of Ortho, is his other mother…" I reach for my badge and credentials and place them on the counter so the woman can see. She visibly relaxes when she sees the big FBI plastered across my name and face, then turns to her computer, quickly pulling up the file. After comparing my name to the names listed that are authorized to check out Miguel, she see's mine. Placing the phone receiver back on the cradle, she turns and gives me a sheepish look.

"Sorry. …It's my first day." She says, handing my credentials back over to me.

"No worries. It's nice to know someone like you is watching my son. Really… keep up the good work." I say, then turn back to the loud playroom. As I walk through it, I scan for one of the lights of my life, but don't find him. So I move into the crib room, peeking over the side of each one, finding sleeping baby after sleeping baby. Finally, I see him, my seven month old baby boy. He's just waking up from a nap, his small mouth open in a yawn and his uncoordinated hands rubbing at his eyes. The brown peach fuzz on his head matches that of his sisters, just a shade lighter than Callie's. When his eyelids flutter open, I see the trademark color of the Robbins family tree. It takes a couple seconds for his young eyes to focus, but when he recognizes it's his mommy leaning over him, his arms start flailing and legs start kicking in excitement, his dimples popping for all to see.

I reach in and scoop my little man into my arms, a warmth spreading over me that always comes when I am holding one of my children.

"Hey big boy…" I say in my baby talk voice. "Did you have a good nap?" I can't help but smile at him. He's perfect. A perfect blend of myself and Callie. His skin tone is a beautiful mix of Callie's caramel color and my fairness. _…you are definitely going to be a heartbreaker when you grow up. _He leans back in my arms, taking in all my face, his baby hands snaking into my blonde hair like always. When Callie and I wanted to start a family, it wasn't hard to decide who the sperm donor was going to be. I have a twin brother… nearly identical. So, his DNA is just the same as mine… just in more baby-making friendly packaging. Our children really are half Torres and half Robbins.

"Oh jeez… you're getting heavy. What are they feeding you here? Experimental growth hormones?" I coo as I grab a sippy cup from the storage cabinet. He and I spend the next few minutes playing, my smile never leaving my face as I hold and bounce him, bending over and picking up the cup many times. Its one of his favorite games. He drops something, and I bend over with him in my arms, the movement making him squeal in joy every time. Glancing up, I see the loving eyes of my wife watching us.

"What are you doing here?" I ask, handing the sippy cup back to my boy.

"I wanted some Mowgli time too…" She says, walking up close to us and putting a kiss on our baby's head. When Miguel was born and Sofia was introduced to him, she had trouble saying his name. So, drawing on what she knew, the word she came up with was Mowgli, her favorite movie being The Jungle Book at the time. And it's stuck ever since.

"I thought you had a big bone emergency or something." I say, passing MJ over to his other mother.

"I got out of it." She says, her attention fully on her son.

"Did you now?" I ask, giving her a look.

"Yep, I delegated." She says with a wink.

"Oh… so you can delegate to spend time with our son, but not to have crazy hot office sex with your wife?" I ask, getting a look of shock from Callie.

"Arizona!" She exclaims, covering the baby's ears.

"He's 7 months old, Calliope. He may be a sponge right now, but he can't differentiate words like that." I say, then turning to my baby voice "Can you buddy, no you can't." Callie just rolls her eyes, knowing from experience not to argue when I am using my baby voice. We sit down and have some good family time for a while until my phone rings.

"Robbins." I answer in my baby voice, not realizing it. Quickly, I repeat myself, using my regular voice. "Umm…Robbins."

"**Am I interrupting something Agent Robbins?"** My directors voice booms over the phone, making my blood go cold.

"Uhh… No. No sir." I say, catching Callie's eye and standing. I separate myself from my family, a subconscious habit I have, not wanting my job to mix with my family life as much as possible.

"**Where are you, Agent Robbins? Has the prisoner been secured?"**

"I'm still at the hospital sir. But Agent Altman took custody of O'Neal for transport to county lock up."

"**I'd like to see you in my office, toot sweet."** …_what have I done now?_

"Yes sir. I'm on my way-" And he hangs up on me. …_awesome._ I turn back to my family, Callie absentmindedly playing with MJ as she gives me a worried look.

"Everything alright?" She asks.

"I…don't know. Let's hope." I say, pulling on my best fake smile. Placing a kiss on my son's forehead, and one on my wife's lips, I turn and walk towards the exit of the hospital day care. "I'll see you tonight. Love you's."

Callie holds up MJ and waves his tiny hand after me. "We's love you too, Mommy." She says. One last look over my shoulder, another subconscious habit I have to make sure my family is safe, I head out of daycare and towards the exit of the hospital. …_now what?_

Hours later, I park my issued undercover sedan behind Callie's T-Bird in our driveway. I pull my briefcase out of the back, along with my ruined suit jacket and head towards the house. It's been a long day. A hard chase, fighting for my life, making a huge arrest, and getting my broken wrist casted up… all I want to do is have a peaceful night. But… there's no such thing as a peaceful night with a 4 year old and a 7 month old. One last deep breath of the Seattle night air, I insert the house key and push the door open. As always, I set the briefcase down at the table just inside the door, grab my secondary firearm from my left ankle and place it up ontop of the wall rack, well out of reach of curious tiny human hands, but easily accessed if needed.

"Roll call!" I yell out, as always. Quick footsteps, like some one is running and then the next thing I know, a small four year old is barreling towards me, her arms outstretched for me to catch her.

"Mommy!" She yells, just as she reaches me and I hoist her up to rest against my left hip, my right one still having my primary weapon attached to it.

"Oh man… you're getting big. Did you grow today?" I ask, moving into the center of the warm house, Callie's cooking making my mouth water. Sofia just giggles in my arms until her hands find the hard plaster on my left hand.

"Mommy, are you hurt?" She asks, her face immediately showing concern, her eyes suddenly finding the slight discoloration on my face, the small cut on my forehead and my blood stained and ripped shirt. …_this is why I don't buy nice clothes. They never stay nice._

"I was, but Momma fixed me up real good." I ease my daughter's worries, placing a kiss on waiting lips. Getting to the kitchen, I see my son in his highchair, clanging his plastic silverware like a drummer, as Callie is cooking at the stove. Setting Sofia back down, she goes back to working on her homework for tomorrow as I lean over and place a kiss on MJ's forehead.

"Hey little man.." I say, playing with the peach fuzz on his head. Then, turning my attention to my beautiful wife, I pull her away from the stove long enough to place a passionate kiss on her lips. The presence of our children is the only thing keeping me from throwing her onto the island and making her scream my name in pleasure.

"Wow… what a kiss." Callie says, her eyes a little hazy when I let her lips free. "Guessing this afternoon wasn't so bad…" She says, knowing my problem with authority figures and how much my Director can really get me spooked.

"Nope. It was great actually. I'm getting an official commendation in my personal jacket for the bust Teddy and I made today." I say proudly.

"That's great babe. Guess you are the big guns…" She plays, giving me a congratulatory kiss.

"Like there was ever any doubt." I reply, giving her a wink then looking down at the food on the stove. "Jeez… I know I'm hungry babe but… how many are you cooking for?" I ask, seeing the enormous amount of chicken piccata she is cooking up for dinner.

"It's Wednesday." Callie says, moving around her kitchen with ease and grace. …_it is._

"Right, Wednesday. Tim and Teddy… fu-" I start to let out one of my favorite words but catch the hard glare from my wife and quickly correct myself "…fooey." Getting a giggle out of Sofia, which makes Mowgli laugh his baby laugh as well.

"Uncle T is coming for dinner, Mommy!" She exclaims, always loving the time her uncle dotes on her.

"Yeah, baby. He is. How about you move your homework into the living room so Mommy can set the table, ok?" I ask. She nods, gathers her stuff and moves to the living room to finish her homework on the coffee table.

"Hello in the house!" A man's voice soon bellows as he enters using his own key.

Sofia immediately bolts up and runs to the door just like she does with me, yelling. "Uncle T!"

"Hey squirt! How's my favorite girl?" He asks, holding his niece tightly in his arms as he enters into the kitchen. He makes his rounds, placing a kiss on his nephews cheek, then mine, then Callie's. Dinner follows, a nice family meal that is never peaceful but always amazing. Teddy and Tim have been dating for a couple months now, and they both seem pretty crazy about each other. At first is was weird, me being so close to my twin brother, and being so close to my partner but… I got over it because, they are really good for each other. Teddy isn't 'Aunt' yet to my kids, her not being in their lives since the beginning like Tim, but she is getting close. And she loves them just as fiercely as the rest of us.

"Teddy tells me you let some chump get the drop on you, Zebra…" Tim plays as he finally pushes his plate away from him after about 12 helpings of Callie's cooking.

"Did she?" I ask, giving my partner a hard glare, making Callie laugh. "Did she also tell you that I probably chased that fu-" A sharp poke in the ribs and I correct myself "that man for about three miles until he decided to introduce a 4 by 4 to my face. All the while, Teddy was taking a nice relaxing Sunday drive around SoSea?"

"You told me the wrong street name!" Teddy defends herself.

"Because by the time I told you the name, I was two streets down." I reply, making our significant others laugh at our bickering.

"I thought you were the tough Marine who could take anyone down?" Tim goads me.

"Hey… he's in jail isn't he? I got my man. …I always get my man." I rebuttal, rising to clear the table.

"Mommy's coming to car day tomorrow." Sofia says out of no where. Tim gives his girl a questioning look, then seeks explanation from Callie.

"Career Day. Arizona is going to her school tomorrow to talk about her job." Callie says as she cuts another piece of plain chicken up into tiny bits for Miguel. "Right, Sof?" The little girl nods enthusiastically. The rest of the night is spent as usual. The adults talk about anything and everything. Teddy and I bicker as usual, all in good fun. Tim tells us about the latest job he has. After coming home from the sand for what seems like the tenth time, he finally discharged and moved into the civilian world. He had a long period where he had trouble adapting back to normal life, just like I did, but with time, therapy, and a lot of family love, he's now thriving. Bouts of post-tramatic stress disorder keep him from sleeping soundly some times, hell, I still have dreams and flashbacks myself, but those too are getting better. …_he's healing. And that takes time. I know._ Now, he is gainfully employeed as a carpenter for one of the largest construction companies in Seattle. Callie attempts to describe all the kick-ass and hardcore surgeries she has done, is preparing to do, or hoping to master but as soon as she gets wound up, her lay-mans terms turn into another language and the three of us non-doctors just glaze over.

Sofia is content with just sitting on her Uncle's lap, as she plays with his dog tags that hang around his neck. She use to do the same thing with mine when she was little, making me smile at the sheer innocence of my baby girl. She tries to retell jokes she's heard from her friends at school, and even when it doesn't make sense, she gets four doting adults to laugh at her, making her brown eyes shine with joy. And Mowgli… hell, he's happy all the time. Seriously, the happiest baby ever. …_he gets that from me._ He gets passed around more than a football during an NFL game, everyone wanting some time with the baby boy with brown hair, tan complexion and piercing blue eyes.

Sofia, being my daughter and extremely tuned into her families' movements and nuances, could tell the night was about to come to an end, so she bolted from her Uncles lap and raced upstairs. Within a minute she is back down stairs, the set of cheap walkie talkies in one hand, and cheap sunglasses in the other.

"Hide and go seek, Mommy!" She says, placing one of each of the items in front of my brother and I. Her favorite game being the Robbins twist to an old classic.

"Sofia, Mommy's tired. And Mommy's wrist hurts." I say. But the look on my daughters face when she hears she won't get to spend this special time with her two favorite blondes breaks my heart. So I add "So… you better hide good. Cuz we are only playing once." She squeals, then runs off. I give an apologetic look to my brother, but he just waves it off, almost as happy we are about to play as Sofia is. Thirty seconds later, Sofia comes charging back into the kitchen, making her brother turn in Callie's arms trying to find the source of the commotion.

"You have to count, Mommy. And no peeking." She says, always the rule player, and then she is off again.

"She is your daughter." Callie says, a big smile on her face as Tim and I cover our eyes and count to twenty. Slipping on our night vision goggles and turning on the staticy walkie talkies, Tim and I pull on our Marine masks and start sweeping the house for our target. Ten minutes later, and an attack from a dangerous mark code named Lucky Charm, Sofia goes screaming down the stairs victorious yet again. Callie plays the bad guy tonight and breaks the party up with a sleeping boy in her arms. Teddy and Tim say their goodbyes and walk out the door hand in hand, another successful family night achieved. Callie puts Mowgli down and cleans up the kitchen as I get Sofia all packed up for school tomorrow, showered, teeth brushed, and tucked in. By the time I finish searching my daughters room for monsters, my silver badge raised as a shield as I search the closet, under the bed, behind the curtains, and in her toy chest, I am exhausted.

"Ugghhhhh…." I groan, finally stepping into the sanctity of Callie's and my bedroom. "Thank you… thank you thank you thank you." I whisper as I kick my shoes off after being on for over 15 hours. Callie is sitting back against the head board in a pair of shorts and an old Med school t-shirt, a medical journal in her hands, her face scrunched up in concentration. I pull the weapon from my hip and place it in the lock safe on my bedside table, that being one of the first baby-proofing purchases Callie bought. Peeling off the ruined shirt and pants, as well as the jacket, I toss them into a pile for the trash and get into my own shorts and t-shirt. My body aches all over, the road rash up and down my forearms sting, my wrist throbs, and my mind is dead. Approaching the bed, I grab Callie by the ankles and pull her down so she is laying flat on her back.

"Hey!" She says, a smile crossing her face as I crawl up her body from the foot of the bed. I grab the medical journal from her hands and throw it to the floor. "I was reading that." She says, her hands moving to my blonde hair, her thumb tracing the bruising that is starting to pop on my face.

"Oh well." I growl, then capture her lips with mine. My body immediately reacts, picking up right where we left off in her office this afternoon. Her legs hook around mine in between hers and she pulls me in harder to her core, needing pressure and friction.

"Jesus…" Callie moans as I move from her lips to her jawline, not wanting to suffocate my wife. "Are you sure they're asleep?" She asks, not wanting to be interrupted again if we get any further.

"Out like a light." I growl, nipping at the sweet pulse point on her neck and getting a cry of pleasure out of the woman below me. Trying to support my weight on my left hand to rip her top off with my right, my wrist protests and I fall on top of her.

"Ahhh fuck…" I growl, my face screwing up in pain as I hold my arm close to me.

"Sweetie, deep breaths." Callie says, having more than once helped me breathe through the pain. Slowly, as I try to get my composure back, my wife rolls on top of me, back in the position as earlier today, and her lips find mine. My pain immediately out of my mind, all I know is her body on mine, her lips on mine, her tongue wrestling with mine. Her hands dip down and latch onto the bottom of my shirt, and with a quick tug up, I am bare from the waist up. Those lips I love so much move from mine and work down my neck to my shoulders, and between my breasts. Throwing my head back, I revel in the feeling of her worshipping my body. Her fingers touch the long, jagged scar tissue on my left side. The same scar I got from being impaled with a piece of shrapnel during my last tour of duty in the sand. The same scar I would gladly take again if I had to relive it all. The scar I got from pushing my brother out of danger as a rocket propelled grenade hit a capsized humvee years and years ago.

Callie rakes her fingernails up and down my exposed flesh, her mouth moving to take one of my nipples between her lips. My hands find the bottom of her shirt and pull it over her head, Callie's lips immediately returning to their attention to my breasts.

"Calliope…" I gasp, arching up into her touch, my core on fire. We hardly have time to make love like we use to. Having two kids puts a big dent in our alone time, so when we do get to be together, its usually fast and dirty, wanting to get off as soon as possible just incase the kids radar pick up on their mommies' fun time and decides to interrupt. But now, tonight, we are taking our time.

"Oh baby… Ahh watch the teeth, watch the teeth…" I moan as Callie gets a little too excited as her own body is blazing.

She sits back on her heels and looks down at my heaving body, my center aching for her touch. "What, can't handle a little roughness, Agent Robbins?" She growls as her fingers hook around the waistband of my shorts and pull them off my legs, completely exposing myself to her. I can see lust flash across her eyes as she lowers herself back down, capturing my lips with hers.

"Oh…" I groan, forcing my lips from hers to take in precious air, "I can handle it. I just doubt you could." I continue, making Callie smirk at the dare. My hands move down her naked torso to the elastic at the top of her pants, begging with my eyes for her to let me take them off. Soon, her shorts join mine on the floor, both of us completely naked except the matching necklaces, having retired my dog tags as soon as Timmy got home safe. Callie wraps one of my legs around her hips as her right hand makes contact where I want it most, and I cry out in pleasure.

"Shhh…" Callie growls, her free hand covering my mouth. Dipping down, she whispers into my ear "You have to be quiet if you want more." Her breath washing over my ear and neck makes me shiver. Not able to form any words, I just nod slightly and am rewarded with another touch. My hands get lost in her beautiful black tresses as her fingers rub against my clit, my hips bucking in time with her circles. Brown eyes are locked on to blue, each of us lost in the other as we make love with all the passion we can muster.

"Are you ready for me?" Callie asks in her husky, sexy filled voice.

"God yes…" I groan, needing more of her. Needing all of her.

"Let me see…" She says, a smirk crossing her face. I feel her fingers leave my clit and move deeper, playing in the slickness that has escaped my body. "Mmmm… indeed you are." She growls.

"Please… Calliope, stop teasing me." I beg, getting a throaty chuckle out of the Latina over me. A small cry of desperation falls from my lips as her lips take mine. Finally, she enters me. First one finger, then two. Slowly, she starts to thrust, still torturing me. Then her hips get into it, my leg pulling her into me harder on each thrust.

"Yes… Yes… Yes…" I moan in time with her rhythm. My eyes are shut time, just letting the feeling wash over me.

"Open your eyes Arizona, I want to see you." Callie demands, and I comply. I am immediately sucked in by her brown windows to her soul just as she slips a third finger in. I open my mouth to moan, to cry out, to say something, but it feels too good that nothing comes out, my eyes never leaving hers. A flick of her thumb across my clit and I cry out in surprise and excitement. The warmth is building to epic proportions within me, threatening to release at any moment.

"You feel so good baby..." Callie growls, her breath ragged from her exertion. "Do it Arizona… come for me…" She knows me too well, and with those few words I tumble over the edge, my body tensing underneath hers. I have to bury my face in her neck to keep the cries and moans quiet enough to not wake our kids. Her fingers continue to move within my spasming walls, milking my orgasm for every drop of pleasure she can.

"Calliope, yes. Oh god…" I cry out against the flesh of her neck. After what seems like an hour, my orgasm starts to fade, small aftershocks making my body jerk as Callie slowly removes her fingers from my depths. My leg falls from her hip, my body completely spent, my muscles like putty. Callie stays on top of me, knowing I like the feeling of her weight against me as I come down. Surveying her work, her smile being one of satisfaction, she brings her drenched fingers to her lips, slowly taking each on in her mouth and sucking it clean. Her eyes close and a moan comes from deep within her at the taste of my liquid sex. Without thinking about it, I grab her right hand with my casted left hand and bring the last finger into my own mouth, sucking it clean for her. Her mouth hangs open in shock and the lust returning to her eyes as she watches her finger slowly being pulled out, my tongue running against its entire surface. Taking this moment of hesitation from the Latina, I execute a perfect move, flipping her on her back and pulling myself on top of her.

"You pulling out the big guns, Agent Robbins?" Callie says, biting her bottom lip in anticipation.

"Baby, what I got is better than any gun out there." I reply, then silence her in with a searing kiss. I worship Callie's body just like she worshipped mine, and then some, receiving a bite mark on my shoulder in her efforts to keep the noise level down. Both equally satisfied, we fall into a deep sleep wrapped up in each other arms.

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><p>AN2: Awww…. Happy family times.<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: This is AU. I do not own any of the characters from Grey's Anatomy. I just manipulate them to my will. Also, any line or phrase or setting that seems remotely familiar from any other show, movie or book, also not mine.

AN: Arizona finally got some special time with her wife. Now lets see what's on the FBI agents plate. Enjoy!

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><p>Chapter 4<p>

"Made good time today, Arizona."

"Thanks Ms. Norris. See you tomorrow." I say as I jog past one of my neighbors. It's the last quarter mile of my usual four mile run every morning. Slowing to cool down, I get back home almost a half hour after I stepped out of the front door, long before Sofia and Miguel ever think about waking up. Getting back home, I stand outside in the cool morning air and stretch out my muscles, soaking in as much quiet time during these morning runs as I can because I know as soon as I step back in that house, I'm Mommy… not Arizona. One last deep breath, I move into the house and go about my morning routine. Sneaking into the bedroom with a still fast asleep surgeon wrapped in the warm blankets, I slip into the shower The usual hot waters soothing my muscles and then turning the water to frigid cold, locking the energy of the steam within. Just as I am stepping back out into the bedroom, Callie is stirring, fighting to get just five more minutes.

Knowing that she always stretches her mornings thin, I sit on the edge of her side of the bed and help bring her closer to consciousness.

"Morning beautiful…" I say softly, rubbing her back over the covers. I just get a groan in response. …_she does love her sleep._ "Take your time babe, I'll get the kids." Kissing her on the cheek I go about rousing the two mini-us's. When I get back to the bedroom, the shower is running and the bed is empty. I quickly change and grab Mowgli then head downstairs.

A half hour later, Sofia is eating her breakfast in the thick morning fog that seems to be a Torres condition and Miguel is making a mess with his. I hear stumbling around upstairs, followed by a loud bang and a muffled voice which I am sure is a string of words Callie would never say around our children.

"Momma's funny." Sofia says, giggling at the muffled voice of her mother.

"Yes, she is baby." I say, sending her a wink. A couple minutes later, Callie finally descends the stairs and enters the kitchen. "You alright, Calliope?"

"Yeah, just stubbed my toe." She says, immediately heading to the coffee pot but stops as soon as she see's what I'm wearing. "Umm… Wow!" Her eyes go wide as her mouth hangs open.

"You like?" I ask, twirling so she can get the whole look. I'm wearing my best suit, the pants fitting my ass perfectly, the silk shirt hugging my svelte torso and the jacket only accenting the curves of my body. Not to mention it's a beautiful blue color, with a very thin pinstripe, working perfectly with my blue eyes and blonde hair, and of course the added confidence boost of having two firearms strapped to my body. …_I do look pretty hot._

"Yeah." She growls, pulling me in close by my hips and taking my lips in a passionate kiss. "I really like. What gives?"

"What's that suppose to mean?" I play like I'm hurt.

"I bought you this suit like a year ago, but you never wear it." She says, her hands roaming over the soft, smooth fabric hugging my body. I can almost see the drool coming out of her mouth.

"I never wear it because I'll just end up ruining it. I've gone through three suits in just the last two months. But… today is a special day, and I wanted to look good for Sofia." I say, glancing over my wife's shoulder to see Sofia helping her little brother with a particularly evasive cheerio.

"I think you just want to show all the other parents up." Callie says, giving me a knowing look as her hands move from my hips to my ass, pulling me in harder against her.

"Ok… maybe that's part of it." I reply, laughing. "So what? I want to show all the other parents up a bit, everyone wants to do that. Competition is natural."

"What are you, 12?" Callie says, as she pours herself a cup of coffee.

"If I am… what you did to me last night was way wrong." I say, turning my back to my wife, not catching the hard glare she gives me. "Sofia, if you're done, go upstairs, brush your teeth… with toothpaste, and get dressed." The four year old slides off her chair and moves slowly up the stairs, having inherited my wifes lack of fine motor control in the mornings. Hence, Callie's stubbed toe. I make my wife some breakfast as she gets ready for her day, packing Mowgli's things up for his day at the hospital daycare. Within an hour and a half of my run, Callie is getting ready to head out the door.

"See you tonight Mowgli, be a good boy." I say, giving my son a kiss and handing him back over to my wife.

"You sure you and Sofia are ok? Do you need to go over it again?" Callie asks as she takes our son and his diaper bag. I just roll my eyes at her because I know she is secretly jealous that Sofia wants to show me off more than she wants to show her Momma off.

"Sofia, tell Momma that we're going to kick-ass today." I say from the kitchen, giving my wife a look.

Her mouth opens in shock, eyes wide. "Arizona! My daughter will not have a sailor's mouth." She says but it's too late.

Sofia, being too smart and quick for her own good, exclaims "Kick ass, Momma!" Callie just growls as she hears the first cuss word fall from her daughter's mouth.

"That's my girl." I say proud, tousling her hair and making her giggle.

"Great, I can just hear it now. 'Dr. Torres, your daughter cornered a boy on the playground, beat the crap out of him and demanded that he give her his chocolate milk or she would throw his ass in the brig.'" My wife rants as I walk her to the door. Turning to face me, she gives me a kiss on the lips and I give one last kiss to my son. "When that call comes in, she is your daughter, not mine."

"I'll take the blame and claim her every time." I say, proud that I've raised a daughter who can defend herself and not take shit from people she shouldn't have to. I've also instilled a great deal of respect and honor in her. She says yes ma'am or yes sir, and she knows when to speak and when to keep quiet. She's being raised right, and I have no qualms about saying 'She's mine.'

"Have a good day at work, rock star." I say, one more kiss goodbye and waving at them from the front door.

"Bye Momma! Bye Mowgli!" Sofia calls from her usual spot behind my legs.

"Bye baby, have a fun day at school with Mommy." Callie says, our son secured in his car seat in the Jeep. She still has her T-Bird, but I bought a more family friendly car once Sofia was born. It has now become my wife's second car, my primary being my undercover sedan. I see Sofia onto her school bus like always, then head off to work for a couple hours before the Career Day thing this afternoon. Usual business occurs through the day, hunting down criminals, kidnappers, mob bosses, and other people who really don't want to be found. It's a long, very tedious job, often taking up to a year or more to cue in on where someone is hiding, but we get closer everyday. Finally, just after noon, I tell the teams I oversee that I am heading out and drive to my daughter's school. As I approach the school, I take my primary weapon out of its holster and remove the magazine, slipping it into my pocket. The safest place for my weapons is always in my possession, but with this many tiny humans around, I don't want to chance it, so I take the ammo out of them, making them cold.

As I move through the halls of the school, the clicking of my heels against the linoleum floor makes other look up as I approach Sofia's classroom. …_the competition._ The teacher herds us all into the empty classroom, explaining that our kids are still in music class, so this allows us for a little interaction. At first, I can see the other parents hesitation to approach me. I've never been to one of these parent functions before, let alone in a smoking hot suit, my hair done up and shoes shined bright. …_that's right. Be jealous._

"Hi, I'm Penny Garner, Jake's mother." A short, larger woman introduces herself after summoning up the courage.

"Hello, Arizona Robbins. Sofia's mother." I say, taking her hand and trying to appear like I actually know who Jake is.

"OH! You're the other one." She says, her eyes lighting up. …_other one?_ By now, a few mothers and fathers all congregate around us, most eyeing the bulge under my jacket. I unfasten the button of my top and the jacket opens, revealing the weapon beneath.

"Other one?" I ask, not missing several of the parents eyes dart between my face and my government issued Glock strapped to my hip.

"Jake told me that Sofia has two mommies. A month or so ago I met Dr. Torres at that bake sale. But at the time I didn't know she was…" The woman lowers her voice, even though 5 other parents are within earshot. "…gay."

"Ah, well, yes. Calliope and I are partners. We have Sofia and Miguel, my seven month old son." I say proudly.

"Who's the father?" Some guy jumps in. He's wearing a power suit, power tie, power watch, and has a hair cut that he probably spends way too much for. My profiling side is screaming at me that this guy is an asshole.

Not believing that some stranger would just come out and ask something like that, I ask "Excuse me?"

"The father. Do you know who he is?" He steps forwards a little, making the other parents move aside and watch our conversation unfold.

Trying to mask my agitation, I pull on a fake smile and reply "I… I don't think I know you well enough to answer that."

"I'm just saying, what happens in ten, fifteen years when your kids want to know who their father is. When they want to find who is the other half of themselves. And the father… he gets the right to be in his daughters life just as much as her real mom."

"Steve!" Some woman exclaims, trying to make him stop.

"No, really. I'm not a homophobe or anything. Especially when its two women, I mean… that's fucking hot, don't get me wrong. But, I'm just being honest. What happens when your kids want to know who their other parent is?" He takes another step forward as he puffs out his chest, a sure sign of male dominance and aggression. …_breathe Robbins, no need to make a scene by tearing this guy a new asshole. He's a big enough one as it is._

"An honest homophobe… how nice." I say, staring him down like I do with all the trash I deal with in my line of work. "Sofia has no 'father'. She has two loving parents that would do anything for her, just like your child. My wife gave birth to our daughter, whose DNA is half Torres, and half Robbins. She is MY blood just as much as your child is your blood. She has many people who love her, but she has only two parents. They just so happen to both be women. I am her REAL mom." I meet his stare dagger for dagger. …_don't try my man; I've stared down much scarier men than you. _

"Mommy!" Sofia interrupts the very tense moment by running up to me, her arms out wide. One last glare to the man and I turn to face my baby girl and lift her up in my arms, holding her tight against me to ease the scary thoughts that man just planted in my mind. …_she's mine. She's my daughter just as much as Calliope's. She's mine._

"Hey soldier; did you have a good lesson?" I ask and she nods enthusiastically.

"I played the recorder." She says, her mother's mega-watt smile shining with the help of my dimples in her cheeks.

"You did? Have you been good today?" I ask, getting a big smile in return. The teacher gives the parents a couple minutes to talk with their kids and see what they are working on before the presentations begin. Sofia shows me her writing work, and the book she is reading. She is very advanced for her age, already reading second and third grade books, though she is in kindergarten, and is well past addition and subtraction. …_She could easily skip a grade. I don't know why Calliope won't even think about having her tested. Sofia is brilliant._ Finally, the teacher calls her students to their desk and the parents sit in the back where a line of chairs are set up.

Each parent takes about 5 to 10 minutes, all getting into specifics of their job. You can just see when the kindergarteners eyes glaze over, signaling that they are no longer interested. There is a lawyer, a cook, a home maker, a construction worker and even a waste disposal man. My knee bounces as I anticipate my turn, hoping that I can make an impact and make Sofia proud of her Mommy.

"Alright, thank you Mr. Monroe for that insightful look at waste disposal." The teacher announces, getting a small applause from the bored classroom. "Ok, next up is Sofia. Can you please come up and introduce who you brought?"

"Yes, ma'am." Sofia says, making me smile with pride as she stands and walks up front. "My Mommy is here. She's a superhero…" She says, using the term that her Uncle uses to describe mine and Teddy's job. "…she fights bad guys and save's people. Come on, Mommy." She gestures me to the front of the class.

"Hey kiddo's, my name is Arizona and I am one of Sofia's mommies'. I work for the FBI. …Does anyone know what the FBI is?" I ask, getting a couple hands.

"It's like the police." A boy in the front row calls out.

"Awesome! You're right. It's a lot like the police, only all over America. Which means there is a lot to do. What I do is I find people. It's like a… a really big, really hard game of hide and seek."

"Cool!" A couple of the kindergarteners call out.

"Yeah, cool! But instead of getting into all of the boring specifics, Sofia and I thought that we could teach you all something. Now, you parents listen up too, because this is important stuff. …How many of you have been taught about stranger danger?" At this, all the kids raise their hand. "Awesome! That is great. Your parents are doing a great job. But… did you know that only 2 percent of all abductions are by strangers." I get a lot of confused looks, so I try to break it down for them. "Let's say… you have 100 pieces of bubble gum. Each piece of bubble gum is a kid taken from their mommies and daddies. Only two of those pieces are because a stranger took them."

"Then who takes them?" One of the girls in the back asks. During every other presentation she was very focused on digging something out of her nose. Now, she's involved. …_their paying attention. Awesome._

"Good question. They are taken by people they see everyday. By neighbors or friends of their parents… by the post man or delivery people. 98 times out of 100, a child is abducted by someone they know. And these people are smart, they play on their relationship with you, which makes it hard for you to know that these aren't good people. Which is why I am giving you all homework for tonight." I can see the eye rolls coming on full force. "Now… it's not hard. Listen up parents, because it concerns you as well. I want you all to go home tonight and come up with a secret word… a password… a magic word. Whatever you want to call it. But come up with one word that only you and your parents know. And this is what will let you know if it is safe to go with this person. If they know the password, then you know your mommy or daddy said it was ok for you to go with this person."

Sofia and I spend the next couple minutes putting on a skit we rehearsed. She played herself, a little girl who was outside, playing with a ball. And I played a couple different characters. A stranger, a delivery man who she had seen before, and a friend's parent… all of whom tried different angles to get Sofia in their car. But, my baby being a daughter of a trained Marine and FBI agent, and the stubbornness of her birth mother, knew better. Finally, I played the part of a friend who had the password, and Sofia eagerly jumped in my arms, signaling the end of out skit. The rest of the class loved it, watching someone just like them do these things showed them that they could do it too. …_oh yeah, we were the favorite. No doubt._

"So, are there any questions?" I ask the class after getting the 'wrap it up' signal from the teacher. Several raise their hand.

"Do you have a gun?" A boy asks.

Smiling, I pull the side of my jacket back show him the holster. "Yes, I do. But it's only for really big emergencies."

"Can I hold it?" He asks.

"Sure." I say brightly. My hand finds the butt of my weapon, not missing the scared look on the faces of the teacher and parents.

As I tug on it, pretend like I'm trying to pull it free, I say "You know what, bud… It's kinda stuck…" I give another tug, and a grunt of exertion. Throwing my hands up and giving the stubborn object a growl, which gets a giggle from the kids, I look back up. "Anything else you might want to hold?" I ask.

"Your badge?" He asks, hopefully. Having done more than one of these safety demonstrations for schools around the area, I know the badge is always second. I pull it out and let the kids pass it around.

"The gun is cooler." Another boy says as I take back my badge.

"Really? …I don't think so." I say, getting a confused look from more than half the people in the room. "Sofia, tell them why this badge is more powerful than a gun, baby girl."

"Because bad guys have guns too. Only the good people… the superheroes, have badges. Right, Mommy?"

"Right, baby girl. That is exactly right." Giving my daughter a tousle through her softly brown hair, I move to the back, my time being over. After the presentations are finished, the teacher invites us to spend some more time with our kids, and that is all the invitation I need. Callie is the one that usually does this sort of school things, her work being much closer and schedule being more forgiving than mine. Plus… her boss likes her. Mine can't stand me. Sofia and I are busy working through her English assignment when my phone rings, pulling me back into the real world.

"Robbins." I answer as I stand and excuse myself from the room.

"**Hey, it's Altman. How's it going at school? Are you playing well with others?"**

"It's great. Totally showed up all the other lame parents." I say proudly. Then a clearing of a throat from behind me makes me see one of the said parents also out in the hall. Laughing uncomfortably, I say "Not you, your explanation of bear versus bull stocks was… very exciting." The stock manager just gives me a glare. "So, what's up? I was just helping Sofia with her writing so… if this is just a social call, the next sound you hear will be me hanging up on you."

"**O'Neal."**

"O'Neal? What about him? Don't tell me he's dead already. He's been in jail less than 24 hours."

"**No, not that. He wants to see you."**

"I'm sure. Guys get crushes on the women who kick their ass." I say, catching the eye of the stock broker just down the hallway.

"**He says he's got some information you really want to hear."**

"He just wants some attention. Why don't you talk to him?"

"**Because he will only talk to you."**

"Look… Frankie O'Neal is none of my concern anymore. If he has something he wants to say, any information that might get him a deal, he needs to talk to his lawyers, and then the district attorney. I'm not making him feel special by showing up to county lock up." I say in my 'this is the way its going to be' tone of voice. "We clear?"

"**You're the boss."** Teddy sighs, not liking my answer.

"Don't forget it. Now, I'll talk to you later Teds. Right now, my daughter is waiting for me." With that, I hang up, take a deep breath to clear all the thoughts running through my head and step back into the classroom. I don't want to think about murders and theifs and jail and death when I'm spending precious time with my baby girl.

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><p>AN2: Wonder what her big catch wanted to talk about…<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: This is AU. I do not own any of the characters from Grey's Anatomy. I just manipulate them to my will. Also, any line or phrase or setting that seems remotely familiar from any other show, movie or book, also not mine.

AN: Alright, another chapter is up. Enjoy!

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><p>Chapter 5<p>

"So how do you think we did today, baby girl?" I ask Sofia as we walk hand in hand towards the hospital entrance. After our presentation, I decided to stay the rest of the day at her school. I was already off work, and Sofia loved me being there, and there is no way I can say no to her. So, instead of her taking the bus home to a waiting nanny, I brought her to the hospital to see her other mother in action.

"Awesome!" She says, making me smile. I still remember the first time our daughter said that word. Callie rolled her eyes and grumbled something about one was enough and now she has two.

"Yeah? I think so too." One hand holding the small tanned one of my daughter, her little pink backpack strapped to her body, while my right makes sure the safety is on on my firearm.

"All my friends said we were the best. Rosie and Ashley and Sara want a badge too, but I told them only I could have a badge." She rattles on and on. "Can I have a badge, Mommy?"

"You have a badge, Sofia." I answer.

"But it's not like yours. I want one like yours." The one I gave her was one of the plastic badges that the FBI and police departments give out as a little souvenir. It worked for a while, but Sofia is no ordinary child and knows the difference.

"I know, I know. But… my badge is a grownups badge. Your badge is for little girls. When you grown up alittle more, we'll get you a grown up badge, ok?" I reply.

"Ok…" She says, her face falling as her bottom lip sticks out in a pout that she learned from Callie one hundred percent. …_god, I hate that face. It breaks my heart._

"Alright, come on squirt." I say, then grab her by her armpits and hoist her up to sit ontop of my shoulders. It never fails to bring her out of her saddest pouts, and this time is no different. As soon as she is seated, she giggles just like a little girl should. We move through the hospital, all the nurses saying 'hi' to Sofia and myself. Our daughter has walked these hallways since she was born, and the hospital staff has practically watched her grow up. She gets high fives from the security guards, gets tickled by the friendly nurses, and she even knows which nurses not to mess with. As we get to Callie's office, I find it locked so we continue on to the Ortho wards nurse's desk.

"Why hello, Miss Sofia." The older nurse says, making the girl sitting on my shoulders giggle.

"Hi, Ms. Julie." She says.

"Hi, Julie. Is Callie up here?" I ask, keeping a good grip on Sofia's ankles. She's a squirmy little thing and doesn't sit still for long.

"Dr. Torres is in surgery. If you want, I can have her paged." The kind nurse asks. She has been working with Callie since before I knew her, and she is just as fond with Sofia as anyone I know. …_how can you NOT love Sofia?_

"No, I think we might go down and surprise her. What do you say, soldier? Wanna go see Momma at work?" I ask.

"Yes, ma'am!" She says, giving a small salute, another thing I taught her which Callie was not too fond of. The nurse laughs at Sofia's antics, getting a giggle out of the girl as we turn and make our way down to the surgical floor. Usually someone eventually stops non-medical visitors wandering around down here, but after hanging out down on this floor for over two months when I was guarding Callie, the nurses and doctors don't even seem to notice me anymore. It's only the presence of Sofia that makes other doctors and nurses turn and see us.

"Well if it isn't the Robbins gang." A tall red head says, walking up to the surgical board I'm staring at. "What are you two doing here?" Addison asks as she tickles Sofia under one of her arms, making her kick and squirm in my grasp.

"See Momma work." Sofia answers.

"You are? Well, she is lucky to have a cutie like you to come and visit her." Addison replies. She was the one who did the IVF treatment for both Sofia and Miguel, as well as delivered them. The world-renowned Neo-Natal surgeon is just another person who Sofia, and Miguel for that matter, have wrapped around their finger. "Your Momma told me you got a big star on your project last week. She even has it hung up in her office for everyone to see."

"She does?" Sofia's face lights up at the mention of her Momma being proud of her.

"She does. She is always telling everyone about how smart you are. How well you do in school. She says that you are going to be a doctor just like her." The red head replies with a big smile on her face.

"Nuh-uh. I'm going to be a superhero like Mommy." Sofia says as she pats my head.

"What's wrong with being a doctor? I'm a doctor." Addison continues to play with the child. She pretends likes she upset, sticking out her bottom lip and crossing her arms over her chest.

Being a child, and thus direct, sometimes painfully so, Sofia answers. "Nothing. Superhero is more better."

Addison just laughs, tickles her one more time and responds "I'll remember that the next time your birthday rolls around, Miss Sofia." With a good bye, the surgeon goes back to her work, saving babies and kicking ass.

"Did I make her mad, Mommy?" Sofia asks. She is oddly attuned to other's moods and feelings. …_she gets that from me._

"No, baby girl. She's just sensitive. All surgeons are." I say, laughing to myself, grateful that none of said surgeons are around. Finding the right OR, I lift Sofia off my shoulders and rest her against my hip. Climbing the stairs to the observation deck, we look down and see a very beautiful Latina rocking out to some music as she hammers away at someone's skeletal system. …_I thought surgery was delicate and precise. _I can see the exasperated look on the scrub nurses faces, the older woman not enjoying the same taste in music as my wife. Sofia starts to rock back and forth just like her mother below. Finally, the nurse watching the phone and pager glances up and catches my eye. I motion for the intercom and she turns the music down, making Callie look up from the power screwdriver in her hand.

"How can you listen to that crap?" I ask, my voice filling the OR as beautiful brown eyes snap up to mine.

"Well if it isn't my two favorite ladies." Callie says. Her face is covered with her surgical mask, but I can see the smile in her eyes, even from ten feet up. "What are you guys doing here? Besides breaking into the surgical floor..."

"I come to watch you work, Momma." Sofia says, making Callie's masked smile even bigger.

"You did? And how did your little play go? Did Mommy remember her lines?" Callie asks, turning her attention back to the open human being on her table.

"Come on, Sofia. Say what we practiced." I whisper.

"We kicked ass!" Sofia exclaims which gets a chuckle out of the scrub staff and a death glare out of my wife.

"How much longer will you be?" I ask, trying to change the subject.

"Couple hours… maybe. If you want to wait, we can have dinner when I'm done." She says as she starts hammering away again. Sofia just watches in earnest, seemingly not freaked out by the sight of blood and guts whereas I get the shivers thinking about it. …_yeah, she gets that from her other mother._

"What do you think Sof? Want to have some hospital mystery meat for dinner?" I ask and get a big nod in return. "Ok, we'll go get Mowgli then hang out in your office." After a trip to the daycare, the three of us wait in Callie's office while she finishes her surgery. Mowgli and I get a little play time in as Sofia, being the studious little girl that she is, dives right in to her homework. Two and a half hours later, Callie joins us. After kisses all around, she takes a load off her feet for the first time in hours.

"So you kicked ass huh?" Callie asks quietly as she sits next to me on her couch. Sofia is on the floor, her tongue sticking out as she traces her letters over and over again.

"Totally. You and I are definitely the coolest parents ever." I say as I bounce our son up and down on my knees, getting a big dimpled smile in return. His blue eyes lock on to the brown ones of his mother and he reaches for my wife. Callie gladly takes MJ in her arms, a smile crossing her face instantly.

One of her nervous interns interrupts family time by knocking on the door. "Dr. Torres, your labs." She takes them and waves the woman off. Pulling out the x-ray from its sleeve, she holds it up with one hand as she holds Miguel with the other. …_talk about multitasking. Doctoring and Mothering. …oddly arousing. …of course Callie is always arousing._

"Ouch, spiral fracture." I comment as I catch a glimpse of the xray Callie holds up.

"Yeah… how'd you know?" She asks, flipping through the xrays.

"I…" My mind flashes back to my time in the sand and all the spiral fractures that I saw. Both our side and their side. Callie sees the glazed over look in my eyes, knowing exactly where my mind has gone, and places a hand on me knee. That's all I need any more to bring me back from all those scary nightmares and memories.

"Arizona, come back to me sweetie. It's ok, you're safe with me." She says softly. After the whole bodyguard thing, it took a year before I felt safe about letting someone in my life like that again. I loved her, but I also knew I was broken… I still am, but Callie helped to heal me. She, and now Sofia and Miguel, have helped patch me up. Their undying and unconditional love for me reminds me daily how far I've come from my time in the service, and all the terrible things I saw and did.

Shaking myself, I find her eyes and take a deep breath. "Sorry… that was a bad one." I take her hand on my knee in my hand and squeeze as I try to slow my racing heart. "Anyways, uhhh…. I saw a lot of spirals when I did some work in homicide. A lot of domestic disputes… spousal abuse and all." …_also a means of restraint and torture. A way some people interrogate…_ _Stop Robbins. You're not that person anymore. You're a wife and a mother. You're not that person anymore._

"Is this a result from a physical assault?" I ask as I take my son back in my arms, wanting to wipe the remnants of my flashback out of my mind.

"Yes. And she won't let me call the police." She huffs.

I let out a sigh as well, hating the fact that some women aren't strong enough to stand up for themselves. "It is her choice." My eyes glance to my daughter on the floor. I swear to myself that Sofia will never be one of those women.

"Yeah, which sucks. Because there is a guy out there that thinks that he can just knock a woman around and she will just get patched up, then go back to him. And it sucks that I'm the one who has to patch her up. …I feel like I'm putting a band aid on her and then am just sending her out to face a loaded gun." Callie sighs. I know she's seen a lot of physical abuse cases herself, and it always brings her down. She throws the patient's files and chart down on the table and props her feet up. My eyes wander to the name written across the x-ray envelope. …_Maura Walsh. …Wait…Maura Walsh._ I discreetly pull my phone out of my pocket and open up one of the many files I keep on hand. …_you've got to be kidding me._

I act cool for the rest of the night, the four of us going to grab dinner in the hospital cafeteria and then I take Sofia and Miguel home for Callie while she finishes up her duties. When the kiddies are asleep, Callie and I do what we usually do… that is, I look over all of the new intel my teams have cumulated, while Callie reads and studies medical journals and research.

"Maura Walsh?" Teddy whispers as we walk through the hallways of the local Seattle branch of the FBI the following morning.

"Maura Walsh…aka Maura Bryne. Girlfriend to the Irish mob boss, Max O'Connor. I caught a glimpse of her x-rays and she's been beat to hell." We walk past the large bullpen holding the several different teams that I oversee, and enter my office. "And scared to talk."

"How can we be sure these two women are one in the same?" Teddy asks.

"After I left Calliope last night, I took a little detour through her ward and popped my head into her room. Thankfully Callie has put her on morphine and she was passed out. …It's her. She dyed her hair and cut it, but its her." I reply.

"So… he's back." Teddy sighs. We both know what this means. Time for action.

"He's back. And this may be the best shot we have at getting him. The FBI is always ten steps behind this guy. By the time we know he's here, he's gone. I'm going to the hospital today to talk with Ms. Walsh."

"So… you're just going to walk into her room, flash your badge, and send him into the wind?" Teddy asks sarcastically as she plays with one of my multiple awards sitting on my desk.

"Yes, that is exactly what I'm going to do…." I reply, giving my partner a hard glare. "I'm going to be impersonating a women's rights or… spousal abuse counselor. I don't know yet, but I'll be wearing an earpiece and I want you out in the can, listening." I hand her a copy of the annoyingly small file we have on this guy. Years of chasing this man, and we still don't have much on him. But he's high up on the FBI wanted list, and that's all I need to know.

"I can do that." Teddy goes to leave my office.

Pulling out the suit I brought for my little undercover gig, I add "And keep this under wraps. Once this gets out, he's going to catch wind that we are after him and he'll vanish again."

"Copy that." And Teddy is gone.

A couple hours later, I am walking towards the entrance of the hospital sans weapons. I am undercover, something that will be alittle difficult but I figure that as long as I can get into Walsh's room, I won't have to worry about being called out as an agent. …_no one calls me Agent Robbins here anyways. Hopefully Callie hasn't gotten too personal with her patient and told her that she is married to a blonde haired, blue eyed, FBI agent._

"Teds, do you copy?" I ask quietly.

"**I read ya loud and clear Robbins."** My partner's voice crackles from the earpiece I have in my ear. **"You're looking good in the skirt, boss."**

"Suck it, Altman." I growl and then all I hear is laughing in my ear. My undercover outfit is a professional skirt suit, fitted too tight to allow for any kind of real physical activity other than walking. Clipping the fake ID onto the lapel of my jacket, I take the most direct way to Walsh's room and slip in without running into anyone who call's me out.

"Umm… who are you?" The battered woman asks as I shut the door behind me.

"Hello, my name is Michelle Ribbons." I say as I approach her in the hospital bed. I reach out with my right hand to take hers, but it's casted. She reaches out with her left, but my left is casted, my daughters art work covering the white material.

"Why… are you here?" She asks nervously as her eyes dart between myself and the door.

"I work for a women's rights organization and…we routinely make visits to hospitals, check on some of the patients. Give the women someone to talk to, provide them help and information. That sort of thing." I say, keeping my dimpled smile plastered to my face. …_maybe if I look like a smiling fool, she'll believe that I am actually a smiling fool and open up alittle. _

"I uhhh… I don't understand." Her eyes are jumpy, pupil dilated. …_she's terrified._

"**Tell her Walsh was flagged in your computer system from past injuries." **Teddy directs me, knowing I am just flying by the seat of my pants.

"We keep files on all the spousal abuse cases that we are involved with, and when the hospital entered your information, it registered as a hit on our system. So… I just came by to… check on you." My tone is lowered to convey a sense of caring and understanding

"I'm fine." She says shortly. Her fingers start to play at the blanket across her lap. She has a casted arm, busted lip and eye, and bruising around her neck like someone tried to strangle her.

"Are you sure? Because… if someone is doing this to you, you have options." We spend the next half hour conversing. At first I remain professional and distant, to let her know that I am not going to push her if she doesn't want to. I don't want to scare her away. But slowly, she starts talking. If it was someone else, they wouldn't be able to get anything out of the seemingly useless string of babbling this woman does, but I am able to catch a few key pieces of intel.

"Here, take my card. Please call me if… you want to talk. If you want information, or a way out. I will help you in whatever way I can." Giving her a sweet smile as I hand over one of the fake business cards I had my people make up for me. It has my name, a very vague organization name and logo, as well as my cell phone.

"Thank you, Ms. Ribbons." She says politely as she takes my card. I know she is just trying to dismiss me and that this was a total bust, but at least I got a little information from her. One last thank you and goodbye, I slip out of the room and head to the exit.

"You get that?" I ask softly.

"**Yeah. He's in town for a week, tops."**

"And he's working on something. Set up a team to have them watch Ms. Walsh. I want to know where she goes once she gets discharged." I order. My mind is starting to race, coming up with a game plan. My juices are flowing just thinking about the possibility of bringing O'Connor in for good. …_that's an arrest that makes careers. That could get me the Director's position._

"**Copy that."**

"And, can you look into-" I continue, but a voice makes me halt midstride.

"Arizona?" Callie calls out from the nurses' station.

"Calliope!" I say as I discreetly pull the fake women's rights ID off my jacket.

"**Good luck." **Teddy says over the earpiece, knowing I have some fast thinking to do.

"What…what are you doing here?" My wife asks as she approaches. Her eyes roam over the very fitting skirt and jacket top that I am wearing, not use to seeing me showoff the full power of my sculpted calves in heels. "Wow… you look… amazing." She says softly.

"Thank you." I reply, the dimpled smile on my face now genuine. I love it when I am able to get my wife all wound up like this, even after being together for five years. My eyes rake up and down her scrub clad body, having come fresh out of surgery, her hair still pulled back in her scrub cap.

"You look pretty amazing as well… Dr. Torres." I purr as I step into her body a little bit, our breasts touching a fraction. I'm close enough to hear her breath hitch and see a light sheen of perspiration break across her forehead. "I was wondering if… maybe you had some time for an office visit?"

"Depends…" She whispers as she licks her lips. Again her eyes roam up and down my exposed legs. …_she IS a leg girl._

"I have this… ache." My eyes are locked on hers. "Maybe you could… prescribe something?" By now I can see the doctors increased heartbeat at the pulse point on her neck. The same spot I love to lock my lips on and mark her as my wife. The same spot that makes Callie's eyes roll back in her head when I nip and suck there.

"Like a… shot? …Or something?" Callie plays, visibly swallowing as she back pedals down the hall towards her office, her hands gripping the bottom of my suit jacket, pulling me with her.

"Or something…" I say as she pulls me into the private office and locks the door behind us. Words are quickly forgotten as scrubs, jackets and suits are tossed and lips start exploring flesh and arousal.

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><p>AN2: Arizona is on the scent of someone. Wonder how it will all fold out. And remember… reviews are like hugs, only without the awkward body contact.<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: This is AU. I do not own any of the characters from Grey's Anatomy. I just manipulate them to my will. Also, any line or phrase or setting that seems remotely familiar from any other show, movie or book, also not mine.

AN: Arizona did a little undercover digging. Wonder what will come of it. Let's see. Enjoy!

* * *

><p>Chapter 6<p>

"Are you fucking kidding me? !" I yell into my cell phone.

"**I'm sorry Agent Robbins. We… I…"**

"Spit it out already." I growl.

"**She slipped our tail. We… we had eyes on her. But… the next second, she was gone."** The nervous man says.

"I gave you one task, Agent. One thing. WATCH HER. And you can't even do that properly." And then I hang up. I pulled up outside my home about five minutes ago, which is when I got the call from one of the agents assigned to tail Walsh. I take another minute to try and calm myself. My rage is racing, my hands are shaking and my breathing is increased. If I walk through that door, my daughter and wife will pick up on my mood instantly and I always try to separate work from family.

It's Monday. I visited Maura Walsh Friday, only a couple hours before her doctor…that just so happens to be my wife… discharged her. I've had her tailed for the last three days, hoping she may once again go back to her boyfriend, a wanted man high up in the food chain of one of the largest Irish mobs in the Northwest. …_maybe she would have, but I have fucking imbeciles as agents working for me. _Other than waiting for a call, my weekend went as they usually do… a lot of family time, and then dropping the kids off with their Uncle on Saturday night so Callie and I can have our date night. When I went into the office this morning, I had a feeling that something was going to happen today; I just figured it was going to be a GOOD something. …_now I'm back to square zero. …No, not zero. I know O'Connor is here. I just have no way of knowing where, why, or what he's planning on doing while he's here._ One more deep breath, I grab my jacket and briefcase and haul myself out of my undercover sedan and up the porch stairs of my two story, four bedroom, three bathroom home. I try to unlock the deadbolt with my left hand, but my wrist is on fire and not wanting to cooperate with the large plaster cast that now runs up to just below my elbow. It's decorated with Sofia's drawings and I've become oddly sentimental towards it. Even during the worst times as work… and there are quite a few, all I have to do is look down at this cast and I remember why I do my job. To protect people like my daughter.

Finally getting the lock undone, I step into the warm home and breathe a sigh of relief. I can hear my daughter rambling on and on to her mother about her day at school. Callie is humoring the girl, asking questions along the way as our son is clanking on his bowls as he babbles his cute baby talk . …_my family. That's all that matters. Everything else is just a job. _

"Roll call!" I yell out as I pull the gun from my ankle holster and set it up high like always. All conversation stops as Sofia's attention is redirected to the person who just entered the door. The quick padding of feet warns me of imminent attack. Turning, I see a brown haired, brown eyed bullet speeding towards me.

"Mommy!" She yells, then flies into my arms as I haul her up and sit her on my hip.

"Hey baby girl. How are you?" I ask, giving her a tight hug. "How was your day?"

"Good. Momma's fixing macaroni and cheese for dinner." She says, her mother's smile on her face.

"She is? That's someone's favorite but… I can't remember whose." I play, screwing up my face in concentration as I walk through the home. "Uncle T's?"

"No. Mine!" The girls says, pointing to herself.

Pretending I don't hear her, I say "Teddy's?"

"No. Mine, Mommy. It's MY favorite!" She squeals.

"It is? …That can't be right. I thought your favorite was my broccoli and tuna casserole." I say. My daughter makes face, her nose scrunching up in disgust, shaking her head back and forth with force as Callie's husky chuckle sounds through the air. I set Sofia down for her to continue with her homework, then give Miguel, happily situated in his high chair, a kiss, then move around the counter and into the kitchen.

"That's no one's favorite." Callie says as I approach her.

"Hey hey… I work hard on that dish." I reply, then close the distance between our lips. "Hey, how's my favorite girl?" I ask softly.

"Tired, you?" She says, her hands forgetting the cooking utensil and getting lost in my blonde hair as my hands roam her sides and waist.

"Same. But… I'm home so all is good." I answer, and then get another passionate kiss from my wife.

"Eww!" Sofia exclaims, picking this moment to look up from her homework and see her mommies' kissing.

"Eww…" I moan as our lips part, making Callie chuckle. "…cooties." I say, my dimpled grin popping as I feel the Latina's strong hands move down my back and towards my ass.

"Cooties." She echoes, her lips finding mine again. We are pulled apart when our daughter starts to yank on my shirt, demanding my attention. She turns back to dinner as I take over babysitting, helping Sofia with her homework and playing with Miguel, making him squeal. His blue eyes full of joy and Sofia's curious brown depths making my heart swell. Dinner soon follows, Mowgli making a mess as usual, and Sofia giving us a play by play of her entire day at school. Callie gets in a few snippets of her day, but thanks to the never ceasing stream of thoughts that fall out of our daughters mouth, I am able to forget my job for a few hours atleast.

After dinner, and a check over Sofia's homework, the four of us move to the family room to watch a movie. Sofia and I have a heated debate about which Disney movie to watch, Miguel happily rolling around the room in his baby walker, as Callie lays back on the sofa. The ringing of the door bell ceases everyone's actions, even MJ stops at the sound. …_who could that be? _Callie is the first one to get up and goes to answer the door. Sofia quickly gets back to the task at hand, arguing that she wants to watch Finding Nemo again …._for the millionth time. …Atleast its not Jungle Book._ I aquiese, inserting the DVD into our entertainment system, but my mind is focused on the muffled conversation happening just down the hall.

"Arizona?" Callie calls from the door. I lock Mowgli's wheels to make sure he sits still for a while, and see that Sofia is already engrossed in the animated fish. One more glance over my shoulder at the kids, I move down the hall and come up to stand next to Callie. Quickly reading the situation, I can tell this isn't good. There are three cop cars parked outside, their lights flashing with officers standing at each one. A uniformed officer, as well as a detective, are standing at my front door, both looking very agitated.

"Arizona Robbins?" The female detective asks. I just nod, catching my wife's eye.

"Arizona, what's going on?" She asks, but I just shake my head. …_I have no idea. _I see the two sets of eyes dart to the holstered weapon on my hip and catch their own movement to their sidearm's.

"Ms Robbins, could you please step outside?" The detective asks.

"It's Agent Robbins." I correct her. "What's the problem detective?" I ask, knowing my rights. I know that as soon as I step out of my personal dwelling, anything can happen. But as long as I stay inside, they need warrants for whatever they plan on doing.

"Why don't we have this discussion outside?" The woman states, giving me a hard glare as her hand moves to rest on the hilt of her gun.

"I'm fine where I am." I say. "How can I help you?" I try to get back on the good side with this woman. I know a determined female officer when I see one, usually it's in the mirror.

"Arizona-" Fear is thick in my wife's voice.

"Go inside Calliope." I say, not breaking the detectives glare.

"Mommy?" Sofia asks in her soft voice as she pads down the hallway. Something pulled her away from her favorite movie and noticed her mommies' were gone, so naturally she came looking for us. As she walks up to me, her eyes dart to the mean one's just outside her safe zone.

"Sofia, baby." I say, taking her in my arms. I turn my back to the people at my front door and hug her tight. "What's wrong, sweetie?"

"I'm scared." She says, having felt the tension of the situation.

"Don't be, baby girl. It's going to be ok." I say. "Calliope, take Sofia back in the house. Everything will be alright." I hand her off to my wife, but she doesn't move from the scene. As I turn back around, my hand flies too close to my weapon for the police's comfort and soon I am meeting the business end of two guns.

"Hands in the air!" The detective yells. At this, Sofia cries out.

"Callie get back in the house." I say firmly as I step out of the house and close the front door behind me, trying to distance this whole situation form the rest of my family. Sofia's crying only gets louder when she looses sight of me, and I can hear Callie trying to comfort her.

"What the fuck is-" I start to yell but am soon grabbed, and pushed face first into the side of my house.

"Arizona Robbins, you are under arrest." The detective says as the uniformed officer tries to cuff me. I feel the cold metal clamp tightly shut around my right wrist, but he has problems when it comes to my left wrist, having a bulky cast wrapped around it. Finally, he closes the cuffs between the opening and the thumb hole of the cast, effectively cuffing me.

"On what charges?" I growl as I'm spun back around and frisked. My weapon is stripped along with the knife I keep tucked in my belt.

"Murder." The detectives cold eyes stare into mine. …_murder?_

Hours later, and I'm still waiting inside an interrogation room. I know that I can be held for up to 72 hours, and I know all the tricks when it comes to interrogating, having done enough in my time with the Bureau… _and some alternative forms of interrogating when I was in the Marines. _So I sit. I breathe. I make sure my face remains flat. My hands remain still. I tell myself that the flickering florescent light bulb is just another tactic at getting a prisoner to break. …_I'm not going to break. _I tell myself that the heat doesn't bother me as my shirt starts to soak through. I don't know how long I've been held, but I know I could be here for a while longer, so I remain stoic. Only my insides twist up in guilt at my daughter having to see what happened. …_she's ok. She's probably forgotten about it already. Calliope is there for both of them. They are ok. Just focus on getting some fucking information, Robbins. Your family is fine._

Finally, the door opens and in walks the arresting detective. "Ms. Robbins-"

"Special Agent Robbins." I say, not making eye contact.

"Right…I'm Detective Sharice Spade, Seattle Homicide." She says, taking the seat across from me. She flips open a file and puts two pictures in front of me. My eyes glance down and see an ugly scene. Two people… bloodied. Shot, stabbed…_murdered._ Then I see what they are wearing. …_shit. This explains the aggression._

"What's this look like to you?" Spade asks.

"Looks like you have a cop killer on your hands." I reply flatly.

"Yes, I do." She leans back, a triumphant smile on her face like she just got an admission.

"Oh, you think I did this?" I ask, playing along with her game.

"Did you?" The woman asks.

I let out a laugh, as I try to rub the last 8 to 10 hours off my face. "No. I didn't."

"This was found… ripped down the middle, and placed on each body." Sharice says, pulling out an evidence bag and laying it in front of me. It's the business card I gave to Maura Walsh. "Michelle Ribbons?" She says, then flips it over and reads the name written on the back. "Arizona Robbins." At this, I falter.

"This… this was on the bodies?" I ask, my mind forgetting that I am under investigation and immediately jumping to my own case. …_Walsh. She couldn't have done this. She's injured. …She must have met her boyfriend and told him about me._ The detective nods. Then I look at the crime scene photos again, trying to discern anything I can. "Two separate crime scenes?" I ask again. Again the detective nods. "When?"

"You tell me." Her eyes stare right down into my soul.

"I didn't do this." I reply flatly.

Not even skipping a beat, she asks "Do you have an alibi for Saturday night?"

"I was out on a date." I fire back.

She pulls out a pen and a pad of paper "With?"

"With my wife." I say, knowing that that would never stand up to my own scrutiny if the roles were reversed.. The detective laughs at my flimsy alibi.

"Can anyone else vouch for your whereabouts Saturday night, say… after 11 pm." She asks sharply.

"Not unless you have a camera set up in our bedroom. …My wife and I were… otherwise engaged… most of the night." I reply, meeting her glare dagger for dagger. "Look, Detective… I was a Marine for eight years. I've been in the Buruea for almost ten years… why would I kill one of my own kind?" I ask. "This…" I hold up the business card that lead them straight to me "…isn't a signature. It's a calling card."

"Calling card?" Sharice echoes.

"Yes, a warning. To me." I answer as I look over the card again. …_how did they know? _

"Warning you what?" The detective asks as I feel her line of questioning start to crumble.

"…I don't know." _…lie._ "But, it can't be good if it's stuck to two dead cops, can it?" I can see her logic start to break apart as my words seep in. Just then, the interrogation room door flies open and in charges my partner.

"Let's go Arizona, you've been released." Teddy says, staring at my captor.

"Look… I will cooperate fully with this investigation, and I'll do what I can to help you catch who ever did this." I say as I grab my jacket. "But what you did, Detective Spade… coming to my house, pulling your weapons on my family… that was crossing the line. And I don't take kindly to people messing with my family. If this sort of thing happens again, I'll take matters into my own hands… which is way above you and your boss's pay grade." One more warning glare to the detective and I exit the room, my partner right on my heels.

"What took you so long?" I ask.

"Fucking government red tape." She growls. "I was on it as soon as Callie called me and only just got the call for your release." I get my possessions back, including my issued Glock and step out into the Seattle sun. A glance at my newly reacquired watch tells me that I had in fact been held for nearly 12 hours.

"I want a copy of everything regarding that case." I say, as I climb into Teddy's waiting SUV.

"Already got it." She says, pulling a file out of the back. She speeds through the streets of Seattle as I go over all the collected evidence so far. "It's O'Connor." Teddy says firmly.

"Yeah… right down to the quarter stuck to the left eye." I say. It's Max's signature. 'Call someone who cares.' "He knows someone's close, and he's warning me to back off." I sigh.

"Oh… and this was left for you at the office this morning." Teddy says, pulling a folded piece of paper from her pocket. Written on the prison issued paper is the messy scrawl of a hardened criminal.

**Still don't want to talk?**

"Fuck." I growl. Looking back up at the passing Seattle streets. "Turn it around." I say, getting a questioning look from my partner. "We're going to go visit an old friend." With that, Teddy wails the siren then does a 180 in an intersection, flying back the way we came.

We pull up outside the local jail house within an hour after my release. I run a casted hand through my hair and down my face, trying to rub out the stress of the last day from my eyes. Soon, I am standing on the opposite side of the glass as Teddy waits for the arrival of our recent catch.

"Ahh… Mr. O'Neal." Teddy greets the man in orange politely. I can see his expression immediately harden at the sight of the wrong woman. "Pleasure to see you again." Teddy continues, taking a seat across from the man before he sits, just like I told her to. …_let him think he's the one in charge. Place yourself in a position of submission._

"Please, take a seat…" Teddy gestures to the only other seat in the room. He gives her a hard glare, and Teddy breaks the gaze, again like I told her to.

"What do you want?" He asks sharply, smiling at the fact that Teddy can't meet his gaze. All the while, I am studying his movements and facial reactions.

"You wanted to talk, so I am here to talk with you." Teddy says as I watch from the other side of the glass. Her face is withdrawn and a bit stressed, making her look nervous and unsure. …_come on, take the bait asshole._

"I don't want to talk to you…" He growls. Then he points to the glass. "I want to talk to you… and only you, Ms. Robbins." My name is drawn out, like he is enjoying the taste of it on his lips.

"Agent Robbins is taking a personal day, Mr. O'Neal. But, if you talk to me, I will make sure to pass on anything to her." My partner continues.

"I bet she is…" The prisoner laughs. It's not a funny laugh, or a light hearted one, but a calculating one. One that makes the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. I turn on my heel and exit the observation room, then the next second the door to the interrogation room flies open, making both inside jump at my intrusion.

"Talk." I snap. He just looks at me from his seat, a smile playing across his face. He can no doubt read the exhaustion on my face, not being able to sleep at all last night since I spent it inside an interrogation room much like that one we are in now. My hair is a mess, my eyes red and scratchy, the bags under my eyes are dark. And my patience is near zero.

"Do you have a good night, Agent Robbins?" He asks, really enjoying this whole game.

"Better than yours will be if you don't tell me what I want to hear." I spit. Teddy stands and moves to the corner of the room as I take over this interrogation. Passiveness didn't work, so now I take a harder tact. I stand across the table from the man, and lean over the table, looking down at him.

"Beautiful, aren't they?" He asks as he takes a deep breath. My scent fills his nose and I see his eyes roll back in his head. _…steady, Robbins. Breaking his face won't help you much right now._

"Who?" I ask softly, yet firmly.

"You have pictures?" He asks again. "Of the cops you killed." He laughs as he sees me try to contain myself. "Do you have pictures? …Well, I suggest you take a look at them." I stand back up and glance to my partner in the corner who has been watching silently.

"They are… or, were… brother and sister, you know. The bitch was a couple years older, and loved her brother endlessly. Beautiful really. Its so sad what happened, don't you think?" He continues to taunt me.

"I've heard enough." I say, then move to the door.

"Release me and stop chasing him… Or yours are next." He calls after me just as the door shuts. Teddy and I move from the room as I flip through the pages in the case file I have, finding the cadet pictures of the two police officers. Right away, I can see the family resemblance between the two. Their hair has the same dark brown color, and their complexions are beautiful, like a caramel color. My mind subconsciously pulls up an image of my own children, the two sets of siblings having so many of the same characteristics. …_jesus… no, this… this can't be…_ I halt midstride, not able to think of anything else than what is flying through my head right now.

"Teddy…" My voice is almost a whisper as a sea of terror starts to rage inside me. "…do you see it?" I ask as she looks over my shoulder at the pictures. "They… they don't look like… like…" I can feel the blood drain from my face.

"Sofia and MJ." She finishes my thought for me and my heart stops.

* * *

><p>AN2: Cue dramatic music… So? What will Arizona do about this threat? Let me know your thoughts.<p> 


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: This is AU. I do not own any of the characters from Grey's Anatomy. I just manipulate them to my will. Also, any line or phrase or setting that seems remotely familiar from any other show, movie or book, also not mine.

AN: Arizona's kids have been threatened. How will Arizona respond? …Will she tell Callie? Let's find out. Enjoy!

* * *

><p>Chapter 7<p>

"I want 24 hour coverage on my entire family." I say. I'm standing in the middle of my Director's office. He's heard about the arrest, the two fallen cops, and now I've just told him that Max O'Connor is back in town and gunning for me and my family.

"Why should I give you that?" He asks, not even looking up from the file he is reading.

"Because… My family has been threatened. A good threat. Someone killed two cops just because they LOOKED like my kids." I yell which finally makes the man look up. Usually I would fold immediately, my authority issues and all, but now it's different. My kids,my family is involved.

"If I put multiple agents on watch whenever one of my people gets threatened, all we would be is a big bodyguard business." He says. I can feel my rage start to take over. "Is this the first threat you've received?"

"Of course not, sir." I say. I've get multiple threats against myself and my family weekly, it comes with the job, but this one is different. They've acted on it. They've killed to make me pay attention. And now there is a mother out there whose is crying her heart out because someone killed her two babies. I have to bear that guilt, and I will for the rest of my life, but I am not about to be that mother. I'm not going to let Callie be that mother.

"Then… there is nothing I can do until-" The Director says blankly

"Until it's too late." I cut him off. His eyes meet mine again.

"Robbins, there is nothing I can do. The Bureau resources are stretched thin as it is. I can't waste agents on babysitting duties. Wouldn't you much rather have us working on actually catching O'Connor? Put him away for good?" His eyes find mine as I try to suppress the tears collecting there.

"Three… three agents. That's all I ask." I say. "One for my wife, my son, and my daughter. Fourteen hour days. I can watch them the other ten." I pray that it will be enough, but I'll take anything I can get.

"I'm sorry, Agent Robbins, I-"

I let out a cry of frustration, cutting him off. "Sir… I know you don't like me. And that's fine. But… but I do good work. You know that. You know I am one of the best you have. And… and if something happens to my family, you'll lose me. I would never be able to forgive the Bureau for abandoning their employees' family when it's the Bureau who has ME doing this work." I plead with the man, a sheen of tears glazing across my blue eyes. "Please sir… what if it was your family?" His resolve is crumbling as I see him glance to the family picture on his desk.

"I can only give you two." He says finally.

"And Agent Altman." I add quickly. He just nods and dismisses me. Teddy is in step with me as soon as I walk out of his office.

"I want Wilson and Booth on my kids." I say, immediately picking the two best agents I have under my watch. They are big, intimidating, and excellent at hand to hand combat. Right now I don't need the brainiest watching my children, I need bodyguards.

"You want me on Callie?" Teddy asks.

"No. You're with me. We're going to hunt this fucker down. …I got another idea for Callie." I say.

Two hours later, after giving marching orders to the two agents that will be guarding my kids, I arrive home and see my brother's truck parked at the curb, along with both Callie's Jeep and her T-Bird. …_she didn't go to work. Which means Mowgli isn't in daycare. I doubt she made Sofia go to school as well. Great, a big family reunion._ I quickly call up the two agents and give them the change of address, each heading to the usual location of the child at this time of day, then move up the porch steps. Teddy is hot on my heels, her mind racing almost as fast as mine.

As I open the door, I can feel the somber mood in the air. Instead of taking my ankle weapon off, I reach up and grab it, sliding it back into its spot on my leg. I don't announce my presence; I just walk along the wooden floors, until I reach the dining room. Callie is sitting there with Tim, each staring at a cup of coffee in their hand as they watch Sofia and Miguel in the living room, Finding Nemo playing for the one millionth and one time.

"Hey." I say softly, making brown eyes snap up to mine. Immediately she is out of the chair and has her arms around me.

"Arizona." She sighs, her face burying into my neck.

"Calliope, it's ok." I say, lying, but I can't say anything else. Not yet.

"Mommy!" Sofia yells out. Dory is soon forgotten as the little girl runs through the messy room and into the kitchen, attaching herself to my leg. Callie lets me go long enough for me to pick Sofia up and hug her tight. Tears start to leak from my wife's eyes and I pull her back in for another hug. Our lips meet softly, reassuring her that I'm here now and that I'm ok.

"Why did the police take you?" Our daughter asks me, obviously not having forgotten what happened last night.

"It was a mistake, baby girl. But Mommy is back." I say, trying to ease the worries of the four year old.

"Are you in trouble?" The smart girl asks. Her eyes have the same ability to look straight into my heart and soul, just like her mother's do. I glance at Callie and see the same expecting eyes, waiting for my answer.

"I'm going to make it right, Sofia. I promise." I answer. I give her a kiss on the cheek then set her down so she can go back to her favorite movie. I watch her for a couple seconds, then turn to meet the eyes of my wife.

"What happened?" She asks softly. I open my mouth to answer but… I don't know how. I can't answer without scaring her. I can't tell her that because of me, our kids are in danger. I can't tell her that. That would be the one thing that would drive her from me.

So instead of answering, I glance to my brother who is now talking quietly to his girlfriend, our blue eyes meeting. "Tim, can I talk to you for a minute?" I ask. Callie doesn't like this, I can tell, but I need to talk to him first.

"Sure." He says, giving Teddy a pat on the leg. He stands and follows me out of the kitchen towards the stairs.

"I need your help, T-Man." I say softly as he follows me upstairs and into the master bedroom.

"What is it, Zebra?" He asks. It's been my nickname since we went through boot camp together. Before, my nickname was 'Z', but once we learned the phonetic alphabet in training, 'Z' was replaced with 'Zebra'.

"My family is in trouble." I reply as I take a seat on the bed and rub at my eyes. "Did you hear about the two cop killings this weekend?" I ask.

"Yeah, big time news." He answers. "It's got every cop on edge. Why?"

"Well… that was a message to me. Those two cops where brother and sister. …And they looked just like Sofia and Mowgli." I say as the first tear slips past my eyes. I'd never cry about this in front of Callie or my kids; I need to be strong for them during this. It's because of ME that this is happening. But with my brother… I can't help it.

"I don't know what to do…" I say as more tears escape my eyes. He kneels in front of me and I stare into the same blue eyes as mine. "I… I can't just stop. Not when we are this close to him. I can almost smell that fucker but… I can't put my family in danger, I can't. …I can't." With this I break down and get enveloped into the strong arms of my twin. "Someone is after them, Tim. Someone dangerous and they aren't afraid to get blood on their hands. …I was given two agents. I'm assigning them to watch Sofia and Miguel, but they wouldn't give me a third to watch Callie."

"What do you need?" He asks as I calm down. I wipe my nose with my non-casted hand and move around him. Opening my closet, I kneel down and spin the turn dial lock of the large safe I have stashed there. Amongst other things, I have multiple IDs for everyone of my family members, along with passports, cash money, and several firearms. I pull out two guns, along with magazines then close the safe.

"I… I know when you came back, you swore you would never take another person's life." I say, not able to meet his eyes. "I, of all people, know what we went through over there and… I know it's not something you want to repeat. ...And I know all you want to do is build houses for the rest of your life. To live a peaceful life and try to… to erase all the terrible things we've done. I envy that in you." I continue, finally looking up and catching his gaze. Another wipe across my eyes and I glance down at the guns in my hand.

"I can't ask you to do this for me… I can't ask you to kill for me but-" I try to find the words, but he doesn't let me.

"Then don't." He says as he lays a hand on top of the guns. "You don't have to ask, Arizona. They are my family too. And I would do anything to keep them safe… just like you." He takes the two weapons from my hands, along with the magazines. He's been out of the service for a little under three years, and hasn't touched a firearm since. But now his hands move expertly over the sidearms, checking the barrel, inserting the magazine and loading it.

"I'm sorry you have to do this." I say as he shivers at the touch of the cool metal against the small of his back, having slipped the guns into the back of his jeans.

"I'm sorry you have to go through this." He says. "I will protect them with my life. And if it comes to it… know that I won't hesitate to pull the trigger. Ok?" I just nod and wrap my arms around my brother and thank god that I have him in my life. He's been a part of me since the very beginning, or me a part of him. We've always bickered about who split from who in the womb. My life wouldn't be what it is without him, and now I am forcing him to do what he hates. A knock on the door pulls me from my brothers' embrace. When soft brown eyes peek in, Tim stands and excuses himself, going back downstairs to his girlfriend and niece and nephew.

"Arizona…" Callie asks softly. I know she is so confused right now, I just don't know how to start. "There are two agents downstairs." She states as she sits next to me on our bed. I use my right hand to wipe at my eyes, trying to remove the tears and the tiredness and the stress that has built up there since last night.

"Arizona, you need to tell me what the hell is going on." Her tone sharpens, as it should.

"I know." I breathe out. "I…I need you to listen to me. Alright?" She nods, visibly swallowing as her mind comes up with a hundred and one possible reasons as to what has transpired within the last twenty four hours. "Those agents are here to… as a security detail."

"Security detail? Like…. Like what you did with me?" She asks, getting a nod. "But that… that would me we are…" Her voice trails off as he mind races trying to finish the thought. …_I'm so sorry._ "Arizona, what… what is going on?" Now she is really confused.

I take a deep breath, knowing that this is the only way. "Thursday… when Sofia and I came to see you at the hospital. That patient you had, the one with the spiral fracture, I… I caught her name on one of the envelopes and it tugged at my brain. Maura Walsh is an alias for Maura Byrne." I start, trying to go slow so she can follow. "Maura Byrne is the long time girlfriend of Max O'Connor."

"THE Max O'Connor?" Callie asks, having watched the news like everyone and immediately places the name.

"Yeah… that one. Anyways, the next day… the day I wore the skirt?" She nods, a smile crossing her face as she remembers tears said skirt from my body. "Well… that day I… I went undercover as a Women's Rights counselor and talked to her."

My wife holds up a hand, stopping me right there. "Talked to her? …You talked to her. You talked to MY patient?" We made a pact once that I would never use our relationship to pressure the doctor-patient confidentiality she is held to.

Quickly I add "I didn't know anything other than her broken arm and… the cast would have been sufficient enough to deem that." She gives me a hard look but concedes, no real personal information was gleamed from my stretching our pact. " Anyways, I gave her a business card with a fake name."

"…Michelle Ribbons." She whispers, remembering her patient talking about this vague blonde haired woman.

"Yeah, that was me." I admit. …_I thought I did good._

"Do you know how much trouble I can-" She spouts off, about to tell me how much heat she could catch for reporting the abuse when the patient refused to report it.

"Calliope, just… just listen. I'd rather you give it to me all at once." I plead, not having the patience or the energy to get more than one whooping, so I'd rather it be a big one at the end.

She huffs, but sits back and folds her arms, saying "Fine."

"Anyways, Walsh didn't give me a lot to go on. So I had her tailed. I found out Monday afternoon, right before I got home that she slipped their tail. Monday night… the police… they thought I was the one who killed those two cops downtown. That's why they were so… spun up. It was the same business card that I gave Walsh that led the cops to me. Someone… somewhere… knew that I was a fake and knew my real name because it was written on the back of that business card. That's what made them knock on our door." I take a breath, trying to get everything sorted out in my own head as I replay the chain of events.

"So… after being held in the cage for twelve hours, I finally got released. Waiting for me was a note from that guy, Frankie O'Neal, the one that got the drop on me." I say, holding up my cast. Callie nods, telling me she remembers the man quite well. "He wanted to talk to be earlier but I wouldn't give him the light of day. Once I hand them over to county lockup, I'm done with them. But… he left me this note." I pull out the hand written note and let Callie read it. "Basically his message was… stop chasing O'Connor or mine are next."

"Your's?" She asks, catching that very important word. I pull out the folded up police academy pictures out of my pocket and hand them over to her as well. She studies them, not understanding what I'm trying to say.

"They are brother and sister, Calliope." I wait, wait until the incredibly bright and wonderful woman next to me puts it all together, slaps me across the face and runs out of my life, my children in tow.

"Oh god…" She breathes out, finally seeing the similarity between the two cops and the tiny humans just down stairs, but it's still coming together. …_almost._

"I know." I state.

"Oh God." She says with more force. …_she's getting there._

"I know." I state again, hanging my head.

"Oh GOD!" …_there it is._

"I know." I prepare myself for a class-A punch across the face.

"We… we need to go. To run. …What is it you called it. 'Off the grid.' We need to do that." Callie says as she starts pacing, her eyes glued to the pictures still grasped in her hands.

"No." I say firmly, still sitting on the bed as she stands. I want her to feel like she has some sort of standing in all of this, even if it's just in this discussion.

She halts instantaneously. "No?"

"No, we are safest here." I tell her, having already had this discussion a million times with myself.

"Here… with a mob boss threatening our CHILDREN? …How do you call that safe?" She exclaims, but not loud enough to carry downstairs and be heard over the Disney movie playing downstairs.

At this, the inference that the safety of my kids isn't foremost in my mind, I stand and go on the defensive. "Where else are we going to go, Callie? Where else will I be able to get two agents to watch Miguel and Sofia. Where else will I have a partner like Teddy? Where else will I have a brother willing to do something he SWORE he would never do again just to keep MY family safe?" I pause, my chest heaving as my heart pounds and mind races. After this, Callie can't look me in the eyes.

"I know you hate me right now. I hate myself but… damn it, you have to believe me that I won't let ANYTHING happen to Sofia or Miguel. I won't let anything happen to you, Calliope. I swear it…" I grab her by the shoulders, forcing her to face me. "I swear on… on anything and everything that has ever meant anything to me. Nothing will happen to them. They will… they will just think that the agents are big, scary babysitters." Still her eyes can't find mine.

"So how is this going to work?" She asks as she brushes my touch off of her.

"We'll… we'll go about our days as usual. You'll go to work, Mowgli will go to daycare, Sofia will go to kindergarten and I-" I explain, but she cuts me off.

"Will put our family in danger." She spits, her eyes finding mine. Her words are like needles going straight into my heart.

"Callie, please… You know I love our children more than anything. And I would never do anything to purposefully hurt them. …Had I know this was going to happen from the start, I would never have walked into Walsh's room." I plead with her. I can see her face start to soften as she finally listens. "But… I protect the things I love. And I will protect our family, I promise."

"Then stop." She says softly. I pull back away from her like I was slapped. "Stop looking for this guy. Give him what he wants and he will go away."

"What about everyone else?" I ask. "What about all the other mother's children this guy has killed, murdered, shot, stabbed, gotten hooked on his drugs, sold for money? Don't they deserve some peace of mind? Don't they deserve some sort of closure?"

"I don't care about them Arizona! I care about our children… MY children. Yeah, it sucks for everyone else but it's not them. Its US!" She yells.

"Callie…" I sigh, taking a seat on the edge of our bed again.

"I know I told you I would never… force you to quit your job." Callie says, as she continues to pace. "But… you need to stop, ok? You need to stop." Her eyes float to the picture of the two murdered police and I can see tears welling up. "You need to stop." She says through trembling lips. I'm off the bed in a second and take her in my arms. Her hands find hold on my back and she pulls me in tight.

"You need to stop, ok?" She cries, sobs of terror racking her body. "Please stop. Please, for me. Please just stop, Arizona." I don't say anything, because I know whatever I say, I'll be lying. "I can't… I can't lose them… I can't… Please Arizona, please please please." Tears are streaming down her cheeks and collecting on my shoulder, my heart tearing open more and more as each drop hits my flesh. She pulls away from me, her teary eyes boring into mine.

"Arizona… please, if you love us… stop. Don't chance it." She begs. Tears start to well up in my eyes and I look away from her gaze, trying to keep the tears threatening to fall within my body. Her hands grab hold on either side of my face, forcing me to look back at her. "Arizona, promise me." …_I can't promise that. _

"I promise." I breathe out, hoping that out of this whole situation, this small lie will be overlooked once we get our happily ever after.

* * *

><p>AN2: So… what's going to happen? Arizona promised she would stop hunting O'Connor, but does she intend to stop? Or is the best defense a great offense?<p> 


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: This is AU. I do not own any of the characters from Grey's Anatomy. I just manipulate them to my will. Also, any line or phrase or setting that seems remotely familiar from any other show, movie or book, also not mine.

AN: So Arizona told Callie, and promised not to mess with Max anymore, but… will she follow through or will she bring even more danger to her family? Let's find out. Enjoy!

* * *

><p>Chapter 8<p>

After a less than restful nights sleep, I awake to a new day. Monday night I was arrested, most of Tuesday was a total mess… and now it's Wednesday. It's been a full week since I knocked on that door and ended up chasing Frankie O'Neal across half of South Seattle, or SoSea, and getting him collared. Had I known that the events of the last week would have transpired, I would have called in sick last Wednesday, because that's what I feel like now. Sick. Sick to my stomach. I've lied to my wife, lied to my daughter. I've put my family in danger, and now I can't see a way out. If I keep looking for O'Connor, he'll come after my family, I'm sure of it. But I can't stop… at least, not enough for O'Connor to be happy. The Bureau knows he's back in town, and there is no way for me to stop the investigation. That's way above my pay grade. So… I'm stuck. And all I can hope for is that… if something happens, it's too me. And not my family.

I don't run this morning, I don't have the energy and I don't plan on leaving my family for even a minute if I can help it. As I pull myself out of bed and tuck my primary weapon into the back of my pajama pants, I know Callie is awake next to me, but I don't say anything. I don't bother her. She hasn't said five words to me since she made me promise to stop. I know she knows I lied… but there's nothing she can do about it. Walking down the upstairs hall, I peek into Sofia's room and see her brown hair all a mess, sleeping in what must be one of the most uncomfortable sleeping positions ever. Content that she is alright, I step across the hall and tip toe into the nursery. Mowgli is spread eagle, a trail of drool running down his mouth, but he's sleeping peacefully. After wiping the baby drool off his cheek, I slip back out of the room and make my way downstairs, careful to avoid all the squeaky floorboards as I go. When I get downstairs, I peek into the living room and see Tim passed out on the foldout, Teddy wrapped in his arms. I tried to get them to go home last night but, Tim refused… and I didn't push too hard.

Making a pot of coffee, and setting the maker ready to make another one, I pour a tall cup and take a seat at the window looking out the front of the house. …_I hate this. I hate feeling hopeless. This is my family. And I brought this danger to them. …I need to do something. But whatever I do will only bring more heat to my family. Fuck!_ Heavy footfalls coming from the living room pulls me from my internal monologue. Tim comes stumbling into the kitchen, wearing only his jeans pulled up over his boxers, not even bothering to zip up. His broad chest ripples with muscles from years of hard work in the service, then constant physical labor with his construction job. He has scars, like me. And, like me, he has an inked badge of honor on his upper left arm. We got inked together, just like we enlisted together. With these tattoos, we became the third generation of Robbins to become Marines, eighth generation of servicemen, and our father couldn't have been prouder.

"Morning…" He says as he rubs at his eyes.

"Morning Tim." I say, giving him a dimpled smile.

"How'd you sleep, Zebra?" He asks as he takes a seat across from me at the breakfast table next to the kitchen. He pulls a firearm out from the back of his jeans and places it next to mine on the table.

"Sleep? What's that?" I reply, getting a small chuckle. We sit in silence for a couple minutes, taking small sips of the scorching brown liquid in front of us. "I'm scared." I say, not looking up from my coffee cup. One of his strong hands takes mine and I squeeze it hard, trying to push down the tears that are threatening to fall.

"I… I never thought I could love anyone this much Tim." I say, finally looking up and meeting the same blue eyes as mine. "You know I love you with everything I have but… it's nothing when you compare it to Sofia and Miguel. …It's… If anything were to happen-"

"Stop, Arizona." He cuts me off. "Nothing is going to happen to them. …Nothing. Do you hear me? You have done everything to ensure their safety. They have a security detail, they have Teddy, they have me… and most of all, they have you. …I KNOW you won't let anything happen to them. The rest of us… we're just here for show, really. No one would ever get past you alive. This, I know for sure." He says, making me smile. "You call Callie Momma Bear but… you're a Momma Bear too. And people will learn not to mess with Momma Bear's cubs."

"How did you get so smart?" I ask, trying to lessen the seriousness of this conversation.

"Ehh… I had a smart sister." He says, giving me a wink.

"Smart, OLDER sister." I add.

"Five minutes!" He adds as always. We were born on separate days technically, but I am only five minutes older and he hates it.

"Five important minutes." I say and we both crack up. Tim and I are so engrossed in picking on each other that I miss the soft padding of feet coming down the stairs.

"Mommy?" A tiny, sleep filled voice calls, making my head snap to my daughter. Her hair is a mess as she rubs her eyes. Her tiny frame covered in Finding Nemo pajamas, feet included.

"Morning baby girl." I say softly as she walks over to me and climbs into my lap.

"Morning squirt." Tim says as he reaches across the table and tousles her already messy hair. She's in the usual Torres morning fog so words aren't really high up on her list right now. She just rubs her eyes, mumbles something and buries her head into my chest.

"Can I go back to school, Mommy?" She asks after a couple of minutes of clinging to me. I know she finds comfort in her routine. She knows when she should be at home, and when she should be in school. Yesterday, missing school, with the added stress of what happened Monday night has stressed her out big time and all she wants to do is go back to normal. And that means school.

"Yes, baby girl. You are going back to school today." I say softly in her ear as I gently rock her like I use to when she was just a baby. "And one of my friends is going to go with you." I figure now is the best time to explain why an agent will be following her from now on. "He's a good guy, just like Mommy. So you do what he says, ok?" She nods into my chest. More feet make their way down the stairs and I look up, my eyes locking with the rich brown ones of my wife's. She immediately drops my gaze and goes to grab a cup of coffee.

Sofia, being an amazing reader at body language, asks "Is Momma mad at me?"

"No, Sofia. No, she's mad at me." I answer.

"What did you do, Mommy?" She asks as she starts to play with the heart shaped necklace I'm wearing in place of the well worn dog tags I retired when Tim came home.

"It's complicated, sweetie." I sigh, not wanting my four year old to know her Mommy is a big fat liar.

"What's compipated?" Her cute face screws up in confusion since that word is not in her vocabulary yet.

"It means it's a grown up problem. But I'm going to make it all better, ok?" I answer, and get a small nod in return. The rest of the morning is tense, but finally everyone is ready to go. The two agents show up, one follows Callie and Mowgli to the hospital as Tim rides along. The agent will be standing just outside of the daycare all day, and not too happy about it but he's smart enough not to say anything about it to me. Tim will be following Callie all day, wearing scrubs and acting like he is her new intern. Instead of putting Sofia on the bus, I take her to kindergarten myself, a treat for her. Her detail follows me as well, and is stationed outside of her door at all times. Whenever Sofia moves from the room, he follows. After a quick discussion with Sofia's teacher, I give her a kiss and head to work myself. When I get there, Teddy already has the ship running for the day. Right now, the priority is on Max O'Connor, and all of my available resources are placed on digging his ass out of whatever hole he is hiding in.

Its been about 52 hours since I've gotten any real sleep, not since I woke up Monday morning, so at around 930, I decide to hit the café on the corner for another caffeine pick me up. It's a usual FBI joint and agents float in and out regularly. After I place my order, I stand back and wait for my name to be called; only it's not from the barista.

"Fancy meeting you here Ms. Robbins." A voice says from behind me. I don't have to turn to see who it is.

"Considering I come here every morning, yeah, what a coincidence." I say, then turn around and meet the glare from Detective Spade. "And it's Special Agent Robbins." I grab my coffee that was just placed on the bar and walk around her. I go to the sidebar and add a packet of sugar to my coffee, pulling out a stirring straw and mixing the sugar in. "What can I do for you Detective Spade? Or is this just a social stalking?"

"I read your personnel file." She says, holding up thick file in her hands. "Quite the read."

"I'm glad you found my life entertaining." I say without a trace of a smile on my face.

"Nothing about it was entertaining… disturbing, yes. Entertaining? No." She flips open the file and pretends to peruse the print there. "Your time in the Marines was… messy, wasn't it?" I don't answer because she has all the information in front of her. …_she probably knows more about my service than I do for that matter._ "And then your little rogue weekend in Miami a few years ago? …You left quite a trail of bodies in your wake."

"Is there a question in all of this, or are you just giving me a summary of my life?" I ask, trying to keep my emotions contained.

"I need a sample of your DNA." She says sharply.

"And why would that be?" I ask, meeting her glare.

"I look at this file and… I don't see an American hero. I see a criminal. …A lot like the person who put bullets through two of my friends." Spade says, and I can see her own emotions raging within her. I know my past isn't the cleanest, but I've done my damndest to make up for it. My time in the service WASN'T the best, but I did what I was ordered to do.

Clenching and unclenching my jaw a couple times to hold in what I really want to say, I finally reply "I've killed people, yes… but I'm not a murderer." I say, then pull the straw from my coffee, lick it clean, then place it in the detective's front jacket pocket. "There's a difference." With that I am out of the door and marching down the sidewalk. Instead of taking the most direct route back to the office, I decide to take the long way. Fresh air is the only thing that will keep me from doing something stupid. I find an empty bench in the local park and sit, coffee forgotten as I close my eyes and rub my temples.

"I knew them both." The same voice says. I look up and find Spade staring down at me.

"Doesn't Seattle Homicide have other things to do than stalk a federal agent?" I ask.

"It was a low blow… and I'm sorry." She says, taking a seat next to me. I just look at her, waiting to hear what she really wants. "I did read your file, and… you are an American hero. You saved four men AND your brother… then they tossed you out? That's not right." She says, summarizing my last few weeks in the Marines. I just keep quiet.

"Your time in the Bureau was… immaculate, until the Torres detail. What happened there?" She asks. That whole situation was blacked out by the upper officials in the Bureau. Its not good press to release that there was a multi-level leak with in the FBI, so… the entire situation was reported and documented very vaguely.

"There was a leak. …I had to take Calliope off the grid. Only, she was found and kidnapped. I followed them to Miami and… and I saved her." I give her the long and short of it, never meeting her gaze.

"And this is the same Torres that you are married to now?" She asks. I just nod. "Did you know at the time that she was it?"

"Did I know that Callie was the love of my life? …No. But I knew I loved her and would do anything for her. Even if that meant becoming an enemy to my own country. I had to save her." Then I duck my head and add quietly "…I have to save them. I have to keep them safe."

"What's going on?" She asks finally. I chance a look at her eyes and find not aggression or hate, but concern. I take a deep breath and do something I never dreamed I would. I share. We sit for 45 minutes talking about what is going on. About O'Connor. About the slain officers. About my kids. About the security detail. …About my promise. I tell her everything, hoping that I can get help anywhere I can. All the while, I get a call every fifteen minutes from those watching my loved ones. …_all is good on the home front._

After I conclude my summary, Sharice just looks out across the park and digests this new information. "Wow." She says. I just wait. "What can I do?" She finally asks, startling me. …_seriously? You want to help me? When not two days ago you wanted me to hang for the murder of two cops? Talk about bipolar._

"What can you do?" I reply, because I don't know. What can she do?

"I have a CI within the Irish mob. We could take a little trip to SoSea and check in on him." She says, giving me a playful look.

"Seriously?" I ask, wiping away the tears that have collected in the corner of my eyes as I told my story yet again.

"It's the least I could do for scarring that beautiful daughter of yours." She says, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder. "Besides, it's been a while since I've dropped in on him." With that, we leave the park. We walked into this park as separate agencies, separate teams. Now we walk out as a combined force. …_two women with guns. Dangerous._ I climb into her undercover sedan and we make a silent trip to SoSea, about a half hour drive. All the while, I get my usual updates on my family. …_all's clear._

As Detective Spade pulls up outside of a deli, she says "Patty's been my CI for a couple years. But… he's sketchy so be prepared." I nod and we step out of the car, each of us looking up and down the block to survey the people and our surroundings.

"Take the back door. …He likes to run a little bit." She says as she moves to the front door. Again, I nod, this being her ballgame, and head towards the back. As I walk around the building and into the service alleyway, I am greeted by the stench of rotting meat. …_gross._ I try the back door and find it open. Slipping in quietly, my right hand finding the hilt of my gun on my hip, I move through the storage area and into the room right behind the front of the store, where all the meat and bread making is done. It's a small, one man shop, and soon I hear Detective Spades voice.

"Hiya Patty." She says. "Long time, no see." A crash is heard and then footsteps coming quickly towards me. The next second, a tall, thin guy comes barreling out of the front of the store and into the back. When he sees me waiting, a dimpled grin on my face, he grabs a meat cleaver stuck in a cutting board and raises it. …_sketchy, huh? _Spade runs after him just in time to see me dodge a wild swing, knock him across the face with my cast and shove him down hard onto the ground, meat cleaver sliding across the floor.

"I've got to get me one of those…" Spade says, talking about my cast, as she walks up behind us as I am cuffing her CI.

Rolling the man over, I put my feet on either side of him and bend down so I'm only a couple feet taller than him and ask "Is that a way to treat a customer Patty?"

"Customers use the front entrance." He spits. "Someone comes through the back of my shop, its bad news and I fight." At this I pull out my badge and show it to him.

"FBI." I say, and his eyes go wide.

"Fuck. FBI?" His eyes find Spades and he asks "I didn't have anything to do with it. I swear."

"Do with what?" Spade asks, also lowering herself to the man lying on his back. His eyes flicker between my blue ones, and Sharice's brown ones.

"You know, don't you?" I ask, able to read the terror rolling off this guy. He's afraid to talk, because O'Connor might find out. And he's afraid to not talk, because he wouldn't do well in prison at all. "Talk asshole."

"I… I don't know what your talking about." He sides with his Irish family. Getting aggravated, I stand while Sharice remains hovered over him. I find a couple flour bags off to the side that aren't placed with the rest of the flour bags. …_odd._

"You wouldn't happen to have any drugs in your possession, would you Patty?" I ask.

"He wouldn't do that…" Sharice answers for him "…Cuz he knows that would send him back to the clink." The detective stands and walks up behind me as I pull my knife out of my pocket and cut open one of the bags of flour. "What you got?" She asks quietly over my shoulder. Collecting a little bit on the tip of my knife, I bring it to my tongue and taste it.

"Cocaine." I state. "Uncut cocaine."

"Oh, Patty Patty Patty. You've been a bad boy." Spade says, turning back to the man struggling like a turtle on its back. She grabs him by the front of his shirt and pulls him up, then pushes him against and empty wall. "You're going to tell me what you know about the cop killings, or you WILL be going back to jail." Again his eyes dart to me as I approach.

"You know who I am." I state. He nods. "And he knows I'm close, doesn't he?" Again, he nods. "Who killed them?" I ask, pulling out my hardest tone and glare. I can still see uncertainty flash in his eyes. Shoving the detectives hand out of the way, I grab the front of his shirt in my left hand as I pull my gun from its holster and press it to his forehead. He cries out and cowers, tears forming at his eyes.

"Robbins…" Spade warns softly but I ignore her. I'm not going to stop when I'm this close in getting a lead.

"Tell me, or the next special will be filet O'Patty." My gun presses into his forehead, my hand shaking with rage.

"O'Neal!" He cries out finally.

"He's in jail." I spit.

"His brother. Not Frankie but Johnnie. Johnnie O'Neal was the one that pulled the trigger." Now he is spilling the beans faster than I can keep up.

"Why?" Spade asks as she closes in on the guy. All he can see are two very pissed off women, and one very ready gun aimed right at his head.

Again, he hesitates, so I cock my gun. The sound of the metal clicking into place, ready to strike the waiting bullet makes him talk. "They are his sons."

"Whose sons?"I ask. My grip on his shirt is on fire, my wrist still protesting that I used the cast as a weapon, and now I am stressing the break as I hold this man still.

"O'Connor. Frankie and Johnnie are Max's sons." He says. With this, I let the man go and he falls to the side before his feet can get back under him. Spade catches my gaze and we have a silent conversation. …_I got his family. Now he's coming after mine. _

"Fuck." I growl. I was not counting on this kind of revelation. Of course I found it odd that Frankie said 'Let me go, and stop chasing him' but I never thought why he would add that first part in. I figured he was just trying to get a 'get out of jail free' card. But… now it makes sense. If I want my family safe, I have to let Max's family go.

"Did you know he had sons?" Spade asks.

"No, just a daughter and a girlfriend. Nothing about any sons." I answer, still trying to sort out all the information in my head. …_I need to tell Teddy this. I need to get everything on these two sons as I can. Their mother… How did we not know this._ Grabbing hold of Patty's shirt again, I give him a hard shove against the wall and say "You better not be fucking with me. Cuz I'm not afraid of letting one bullet slip. …Never know who might accidently walk in the way of it." His eyes go wide as he sees the seriousness of my threat. I uncuff the man, give him one more shove and then step away.

"Come on." I say, slipping my gun back in my holster and turning on my heel to exit out the front of the store. I grab a couple sandwiches on our way out of the deli and slip into the detectives car.

"Where to now?" She asks as she takes one of the stolen sandwiches.

"HQ." I say flatly. "We got work to do." With that, she pulls into traffic and we head back to FBI headquarters. Both of us going over the new information we have received, hoping its enough to get us one step closer to catching this bastard.

* * *

><p>AN2: Break in the case. Arizona hasn't, technically, broken her promise to Callie yet. She hasn't been trying to find Max… but the killer of the two cops. Skating a thin line. …And what about Arizona's new found ally? Think Spade will pull through for the Robbins-Torres's?<p> 


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: This is AU. I do not own any of the characters from Grey's Anatomy. I just manipulate them to my will. Also, any line or phrase or setting that seems remotely familiar from any other show, movie or book, also not mine.

AN: So, Arizona had a little bit of a break. What will come of it? Let's see. Enjoy!

* * *

><p>Chapter 9<p>

"How did we not know this?" I ask, staring right at my partner who is sitting across my desk.

"I don't know, Robbins. …Did you have any idea?" She asks, her eyes darting between myself and Detective Spade who is roaming around my office, checking out all the awards and plaques hung up on the dark walls.

"No… no fucking clue. I mean, we've been after him for… years. How did we not know he had two sons?" I'm going over all the information I have about Max O'Connor, which isn't much, looking for something I might have missed. But I find nothing time and time again. …_fucking hell. How did I miss this?_

"What is…" Teddy points over her shoulder at the Seattle detective. Since the whole me getting arrested on the charge of two counts of murder, Teddy has become less than trusting of the local police department. Not that that is hard, Seattle PD and our branch of the FBI don't really play nice together, which is very unfortunate.

"Don't worry about it." I say offhandedly as I flip through more files on my computer.

"So… she's suddenly on our side?" My partner asks, not letting the woman out of her sight for more than a couple seconds, like at any second Sharice will pull a gun on one of us and take us out.

"Yep. It's called interdepartmental cooperation." Sharice says as she takes the second chair in front of my desk and next to the agitated blonde. I can still see the straw I placed in her jacket pocket for the requested DNA sample. …_guess she didn't really need it._

"Agent Robbins?" One of my other agents pokes his head in.

"What?" I spit, having very little patience for anything else right now.

"I think we got something." He says, taking a step in with a folder in his hands. Three sets of eyes dart to the man. I stand and snatch the file from his hands. Instantaneously, three women are glancing over the information, trying to gleam anything we can. Finally, I find what I am looking for.

"What is it?" Teddy asks, not being able to read as quickly upside down.

"An address." I answer, a smile playing on my lips for the first time in I don't know how many days. Within an hour, two undercover sedans pull up outside of the home of Cynthia Nealy, mother to Frankie and Johnnie. Teddy and I step out of one as Spade steps out of hers. I motion for Teddy to take the back just incase as Sharice and I take the porch steps two at a time. I give the detective a questioning look, silently asking if she remembers the game plan, and she nods. I rap sharply on the door and we wait. Movement within the house tells us someone is home. We wait, and finally the door cracks open and an we are met with the scary glare of one, Cynthia Nealy.

"Who are you?" A woman of about 55 years old asks through a chained door.

"Ma'am, are you Cynthia Nealy?" I ask, ignoring her question. Usually I don't try to steamroll people, respecting their rights as US citizens, but right now… with the threats against my family, rights come second.

"Depends on whose asking." She says. I glance over my shoulder, the signal for Spade to identify herself.

She pulls out her shield and holds it up. "Detective Sharice Spade, Seattle Police Department."

"What are you, the salt and pepper team?" The woman asks. I glance over at Spade, who just so happens to be black, and meet her stare. We each look each other up and down and realize that…indeed we are.

"Ma'am, we have a few questions to ask you. May we come in?" Sharice asks as she steps in front of me. I've decided not to declare myself unless directly asked, in which case I am forced to, but let the woman think that I too am with Seattle PD. It's a lot less off putting than being FBI.

"What about?" The woman asks.

"We just have a couple questions about your sons." I say from behind the detective. At this, the woman's face softens.

"Are they ok?" She asks, visibly shaken now.

"May we come in?" Sharice asks again. Finally the woman grants us entry. …_perfect. Now I don't need a warrant to look around a bit._ We follow her into the cramped space. It's not a small house; it's just that the woman has so much crap that it's a little overwhelming. Glancing out one of the windows I can see Teddy looking around outside and taking a stance just in front of the back door, her hand on her weapon just in case. My eyes float around the room, landing on a couple different items of interest that I mentally take note of store into my memory.

"Are these them?" I ask, pointing to one of the framed pictures on the mantle. The woman nods. "No father in the picture?" I continue, seeing that there is no older man in any of the family pictures on display.

"No, he left us when they were babies." She explains. "What's going on?"

"Ms. Nealy, when was the last time you saw either of your boys?" Spade asks as she takes a seat, which subconsciously makes the older woman take a seat as well, allowing me to roam around the bottom level of the house. …_don't need a warrant if it's in plain sight._

"Umm… I haven't seen Franklin in almost two years." She answers as she searches her memory. …_Franklin? Yeah… I'd used Frankie too. _"And Jonathon comes by every few days to check on his old mom." Cynthia says with a smile.

"Do Franklin or Jonathon have any contact with their father?" I ask, making sure not to betray that fact that I already know they do.

"No. They don't know who he is. …Why are you here? Are my babies in trouble?" The woman is starting to get wound up, so I know its time to start answering some of her questions if I hope to get any in return.

"Franklin was picked up a week ago and is currently in jail, Ms. Nealy." I say as I watch closely for a reaction.

"Well, that doesn't really surprise me. He has always been a trouble maker. And Jonathon?" She asks. …_so baby bro is the favorite. I'll have to remember that. _

Sharice takes over the line of questioning since it's technically her case. "We think Jonathon has been involved in a shooting." She explains vaguely.

"Oh god, my baby got shot?" Ms. Nealy gasps. Just then, a loud noise comes from the garage and a car burns rubber as it hits pavement. Teddy and I lock eyes immediately through the window and we both take off towards the front where our car is.

On my way out, I catch Spade's eye and nod, telling her to go ahead and bring the mother in, then I fly out the front door and jump the few porch steps. I reach the drivers side door within a fraction of a second that Teddy climbs into the passengers side. "You make him?" I ask as I fire up the car and get the lights and sirens wailing.

"Yeah, it's Johnnie alright." Teddy states as she grabs the police radio and calls in our situation. "FBI Special Agent Theodora Altman, in pursuit of suspect. Request uniformed back up. 10-39. Suspect heading west on St. Ellen's. APB on Jonathon Nealy, aka Johnnie O'Neal. BOLO on dark, late model American four door."

"**Copy that."** The dispatcher answers, then re-announces our message to all units.

"Request uniformed back up to 4223 St. Ellen. 10-26 in progress. Detective Spade on scene." She adds, not wanting to leave Spade by herself just in case.

"**10-4. Unit Yankee Niner in route to 10-26 in progress."** Someone answers. I can just make out the fleeing car ahead of me. It's just about rush hour so the streets are packed but I am able to move through the lanes pretty easily. I keep my finger on the siren horn, letting the higher pitched wail echo off the cities building as we fly past them. Johnnie skids left around a turn, barely missing a van with a 'Baby on Board' sticker. …_fuck, he's going to kill someone if I don't get him soon. _The undercover car is pushed to its limits with me behind the wheel. Teddy is hanging on for dear life as she spits directions into the police radio, trying to get our back up into the chase. Finally, I look in my rearview mirror and see the cavalry as arrived.

"Arizona, you got to stop him." Teddy says as we skid around another corner that Johnnie took very dangerously. By now, we are out of the trafficked part of town and racing towards the abandoned part of town. The part with druggies and drunks, the homeless and forgotten. On a straightaway, I gun the engine and manage to bring my car just next to Johnnies' right rear wheel.

"Hang on." I warn. And then I steer the nose of our car into the side of the fleeing suspects, performing a classic, right out of the textbook, PIT maneuver. His car spins around ours, smashing against Teddy's side of the car. When we both stop, Johnnie doesn't waste much time in fleeing the vehicle and running on foot. I'm out of the car immediately after him as LEOs pull up to the crash site. Teddy is trapped in the vehicle, unable to get her door opened because it is pinned closed by the passengers side of the other car, but I know she's ok. And, just like a week ago, it's a foot race.

"FBI! Freeze!" I yell after the man. He's not as big as his brother, but I know he is still dangerous. …_he killed two cops. He knows its not going to be fun when I get the cuffs on him._ We race down one deserted street after another, the sound of my backup just behind us. He hears it too so he leaves the street, crossing into a grassy area and scaling a fence.

"Fuck, why do they always run?" I growl as I reach the fence five seconds after he hits the other side. The rusty metal scraps my hands as I hit it and pull myself over, my casted left hand making it a hundred times more difficult. I'm back on his trail the next second as he runs under an overpass. I pull out my weapon as I move into the darkened area, slowing my pace to make sure its not an ambush. All I get are wide eyes from bums, startled at the sudden activity in their place of residence. Some even point me in the direction of the last person who just came flying through here. Coming out the other side, I see Johnnie ahead of me. He jumps another fence and lands into the back yard of someone's residence. Immediately, I hear a very angry dog growling. As I approach, Johnnie hops out of the yard and changes direction, back towards the relative safety of the deserted streets.

I push myself harder; my strides lengthening as I slowly gain ground. He glances over his shoulder and our eyes meet. Just as he is about to cross the crossroad of the sidewalk we are barreling down, Teddy skids to a halt. Johnnie tries to stop, not wanting to run right into the suddenly appearing vehicle. But before he can correct his course of retreat, I'm behind him and shoving him against the side of the car.

"AH!" He yells out as his face metals cool car metal.

"Fucking hell." I breathe out as I bring his hands behind him. "Jonathon Nealy… Johnnie O'Neal, whatever the fuck your name is. You're under arrest." I pant as I pull out my silver cuffs. Teddy is out of the car and rounding the front of the vehicle, hand on her gun in case the man tries to make another break.

"How about that back-up?" She asks with a grin on her face.

"Finally learning…"I reply between ragged breaths.

"I didn't do anything!" He cries.

"Yeah yeah yeah. I've never heard that before." I say as I collar him. "You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be held against you in the court of law. You have the right to speak to an attorney. If you can not afford one, one will be appointed to you. Do you understand these rights as I have read them to you?" I ask as I turn him around so I can get a good look at him for the first time.

"What are the charges?" He spits as he tries to fight me. _…wrong move asshole._ His face is immediately on the hood of the car and he cries out again. By now, LEOs have arrived and are securing the scene.

"For the murder of two Seattle police officers, evading the police, resisting arrest and for fucking pissing me off." I spit out, then shove him in the back of our banged up cruiser. …_yeah, that's going to be fun explaining to the Director._ A uniformed officer approaches me and I ask "Detective Spade alright?"

"Yes ma'am, she's transported her prisoner back to the precinct for interrogation." He says. I tell him to go back to Nealy's residence and pick up some evidence then pry open the dented passengers side door and sit. Teddy takes the wheel as we head back to meet up with Spade and have a nice little chat with our new friends.

I have the pleasure of leading Johnnie through the police precinct and sit him in one of the interrogation rooms to let him cook for a little bit while the three of us come up with a game plan. I join Teddy and Spade in the observation room that has a window on either side, looking in on the two different rooms housing our prisoners. Johnnie just sits and stares daggers into the one way window, while Ms. Nealy looks very anxious and scared.

"So… I get him." Spade says, pointing over her shoulder to the other O'Neal/Nealy brother. "But… what's she here for?" The woman points to in front of her and into the room of the middle aged woman chewing on her fingernails.

"Insurance." I say shortly. "Let her cook for a while. Let's take a crack at Johnnie." I say, catching the detective's eyes. "You be listening." I point to Teddy and she nods. Spade and I come up with a game plan quickly, trying to come up with the best way to break either of these two prisoners of ours. Finally content with the plan, I enter the room first, silently, followed by Spade.

"Well well well…" She says, taking a seat while I move to the corner just out of sight of the cuffed prisoner. "Jonathon Nealy. You've been very bad." Spade says as she flips open a thick file and pulling out two pictures, laying them in front of the man.

"What's that?" Johnnie asks, not even looking down.

"That's your handiwork. …You did a real number on my friends, Johnnie. You know, I had to tell their mother myself." Sharice says coolly. Still he doesn't even glance at photos. I take a step forward, take a handful of his hair and slam his face down hard onto the table.

"Take a good look, Johnnie. Because our little run through the park today was your last." I growl right in his ear. I let him go and he tries to fight but his hands are cuffed to the top of the table and he can't move. "I know this isn't you, Johnnie." I say, softening my voice. "I saw all the awards your mother has hung out proudly. You were a good kid. A clean kid. …What happened?" I can tell I hit a nerve because his eyes drop and he starts to pick at his fingernails.

"Frankie get you into some trouble? …Did you get mixed up with the wrong people?" Sharice asks. Silence. "If you don't talk, you're going down for both of these murders. And Seattle doesn't play nice with cop killers."

"Neither do I." I growl from the corner. "What's the going rate for murder these days, Detective Spade?"

"25 to life, Agent Robbins." She answers. "Per murder."

"So, Johnnie… what do you think about going to jail for at least 50 years? You'd be, what? ….77 when you got out? Not much of a life left to live. That's if… you made it long enough to get out. Prison is a harsh place. Especially when you have a father like yours." I can see his jaw muscles clenching and he is visibly swallowing. "Max O'Connor has a lot of enemies. …Imagine the rep some of the other prisoners would get if they were able to dig a shank deep into your scrawny ass." Still nothing. …_damn, he's clammed up tight._

"What happened to your hand?" I ask, seeing a cut in the palm of his right hand. Still, he remains silent. "You know… most people don't know that stabbing is a messy thing. Usually your adrenaline is pumping so much that… you get a little carried away. You stab too hard and your hand slips up the blade of the knife, cutting you." At this, his hand clenches in a fist as he tries to hide the physical evidence.

I lean in close from behind and whisper "And when there is a cut, there is blood. …I can have a warrant for your DNA in minutes. So, are you going to talk? Or do you want to test me?"

His eyes finally find mine, and only one word comes from his mouth. "Lawyer."

"Fine." I say as I head to the door. "You can call him with your one phone call." Then Sharice and I are out of the room. I pop my head into the observation room and say "Get a warrant for his DNA." Teddy nods and pulls out her cell.

As she waits to be connected to a DA, she says "You really think he'd take the fall for his pops?"

"Nope, but I think he needs to be scared a little more." Then I'm back out of the room and walking the opposite way down the hallway, towards Cynthia's interrogation room. One last discussion about how to play this one, and Spade and I get into character.

"Ms. Nealy. Thank you for coming." I say, taking the seat this time as Spade stands back. I was the bad guy with Johnnie, but since Spade arrested Cynthia, I will be using that as a way to gain her trust.

"Didn't really have a choice, did I?" She spits, her eyes darting to the black woman behind me.

"I'm Supervisory Special Agent Arizona Robbins of the FBI, and… you know Detective Spade. Seattle Homicide." I finally declare myself. If I didn't anything that was said in this room wouldn't be allowed in court.

"Were you offered a refreshment, ma'am?" I ask. I purposefully told them not to offer her anything or uncuff her. …_Tricks of the trade_. I make a show of seeing her still cuffed. "Oh my… Let me get those off you. I don't think they are required any more, do you?" She shakes her head in 'no' as I uncuff her and theatrically hand them back to Spade, making sure Nealy sees the hard glare I give the detective.

"Why am I here?" She asks as she rubs her wrists and I take my seat again.

"Harboring a fugitive." Spade spits. "Your son was in your home and you denied-"

I hold up a hand to try and contain the feisty detective. "What my colleague means is that, you were in the wrong place at the wrong time. …Now, if you help me out, I'm sure I could talk some sense into the Seattle PD and let you go… with their sincerest apologies of course." My tact is to try and side with Nealy against the Seattle PD. …_an enemy of my enemy is my friend._

"What kind of help?" Cynthia asks, her eyes darting between my soft blue eyes, and Sharice's hard brown ones.

"Max O'Connor." Spade spits again. And again, I make a face at her for show, like I'm warning her she is out of line.

"I don't know who that is." She answers a little too quickly for us to believe even if we didn't already know the truth.

"The man you opened your legs to… twice." Spade growls as she approaches the woman in two strides. As part of the plan, I stand and place myself between her and the suspect, shielding the woman from the harshness of the brazen woman.

"Outside, Detective Spade." I say, meeting her glare. "Now." With that, Sharice makes sure to give the elder woman one more look then turns on her heel and marches out of the room. I follow and close the door behind her. We wait a couple minutes, make an act of raising our voices a couple times like we are actually arguing. Sharice goes back to the observation room as I step back into the interrogation room. Making a show, I take a deep breathe and run my casted hair through my blonde hair.

"Sorry about that, Ms. Nealy. Detective Spade lost two of her fellow police officers this week and she is taking it very hard." I say, giving the woman a dimpled smile while I retake my seat.

"And Max did it?" The woman asks, realization lighting in her eyes. …_'Max'? Still some personal feelings there then. I'm on to something._

"We believe he was behind it, yes. You… knew him?" I ask, softening my face as much as possible. I need her to believe that I believe she has nothing to do with this. That she is just another victim. "Ma'am, I'm not judging. I'm just trying to put a cop killer behind bars. …Do you have any communication with him?"

"No." She answers shortly.

"Well, your sons do." I say, watching her face for her micro muscle movements. Her pupils dilate in surprise, her mouth parts fractionally. …_she didn't know. _"You didn't tell them who their father is."

"No, I didn't. …I never wanted that life for my sons. That's why I left Max when Johnnie was just a couple months old. Frankie was three." She says, taking her head in her hands.

"Well, your son, Franklin… I arrested him last week on the charges of murder, attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon… and a plethora of other charges. I believe he has been doing Max's bidding for a number of years. …Franklin goes by Frankie O'Neal." I wait for this news to sink into his mother's brain. "And your other son, Jonathon or… Johnnie O'Neal as the Irish mob knows him, he's been arrested for the murder of those two cops."

"Oh god." …_there it is._ I can see the look of terror flash across the mother's eyes, not wanting to believe it but… somehow able to.

"Now… if you can help us get to O'Connor, I know… no, I promise that there will be some sort of deal in it for your boys." I say, pleading her to see reason.

"Lawyer." She spits out. …_fuck._

"Ms. Nealy-"

"No, I'm done. I want a lawyer. And for my sons. I'm done talking." I can see her walls going right back up. "Unless you're charging me with something, I'm leaving." She threatens. I meet her glare and see that she's serious. My eyes glance to the window and give a small nod. A couple seconds later, Teddy walks in with an evidence bag.

"Do you know what this is?" I ask, laying the bag with offending item in front of her.

"Yes… it's my pill case." She says, recognizing the blue case with letters over each compartment for each day of the week.

"So it's yours?" I ask, needing her to confirm it for the record.

"Yes… why does that matter?" She asks, nodding and staring at me confused. …_bingo. I got what I need._

"We didn't find any pill bottles or prescriptions at your home to go with these, Ms. Nealy." I say as I take the evidence bag back.

"I throw the bottles out… I don't get what's going on. I want my lawyer." She demands. I stand and walk around her, pulling her up off the chair.

"You can call him from booking." I say as I slip my cuffs over her wrists.

"What? ! Why? !" She tries to fight, but I easily hold the thin, frail woman still.

"Unlawful possession of prescription medication. That's a Class B misdemeanor in the state of Washington. Fine of up to ten thousand dollars, 180 days in jail or both. So, Ms. Nealy, you're under arrest." I explain as I enclose the cuffs. Am I pushing the line? Yes. But I don't care, because it's my family on the line. So… I'll push it until it snaps. And then I'll change lines. When I walk her out of the room, I hand the old woman off to a waiting officer to take her to booking. I rejoin my unconventional team in the observation room and take a deep breath.

"Remind me never to get on your bad side." Spade jokes, trying to lighten the mood. "Seriously, you're going to book an old woman for her calcium and blood pressure pills?"

"She's got oxycodon in there, so yes." I say, meeting the dark eyes of the detective.

"So… now what?" Teddy asks as I turn back to the youngest O'Neal/Nealy brother still stewing in the interrogation room.

"Now… we wait for one of them to crack." I reply, hoping that I am right and that I didn't just place the last straw on the camel's back.

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><p>AN2: Is Arizona testing it alittle too much? What will happen when O'Connor finds out that the Agent has both sons and ex-lover in custody? Let me know ;-)<p> 


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: This is AU. I do not own any of the characters from Grey's Anatomy. I just manipulate them to my will. Also, any line or phrase or setting that seems remotely familiar from any other show, movie or book, also not mine.

AN: Arizona seems to be testing O'Connor's patience. Will it break? Lets find out. Enjoy!

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><p>Chapter 10<p>

"How was your day, baby girl?" I ask as I gently brush Sofia's hair back, away from her face. It's bedtime for her, Miguel already passed out like a rock, and I just got home. All the red tape with my arrests today, not to mention filing an incident report about Teddy's damaged cruiser and briefing the boss man, kept me at work way longer than I had planned.

"K." She mumbles sleepily. I can tell she's exhausted but is fighting sleep just to spend some more time with me. The trauma of having cops show up at the front door, two guns pulled on her and her mommies' AND seeing her Mommy arrested hasn't faded away as quickly as I thought it would.

"I missed you." My lips brush against her forehead as I give her another kiss.

"I miss you too Mommy." She says, clinging to my shirt.

"You need to sleep, soldier. Time for lights out." I go to move from the bed but her tiny hands just grip my shirt tighter. …_she's breaking my heart._

"No!" She cries out, tears threatening to fall. "Mommy, stay. Pwease?"

"Alright, I'll stay. I'm just going to turn off the light." She lets me go but doesn't blink for fear I might disappear. Ten seconds after I got up, my shoes are off and I am lying down next to my daughter, her head buried into my chest as I wrap a calming, protective arm around her tiny body. The warmth of Sofia rolls off her, just like the warmth Callie's body creates. …_they're like human shaped space heaters._ It's not long before her breathing deepens and slows, my hand continuing to brush back her hair just like her mother loves as well. A squeak from a floor board in front of Sofia's door brings my eyes up to sad brown ones. We don't say anything, but I can see the emotions swirling in the mind of my wife. My hand in my daughter's hair falters for a second, and instinctively Sofia's grip tightens on my shirt, making sure I'm still there. Blue eyes drop from brown eyes and go back to the tiny human in my arms. The next time I look up, she's gone. …_damn it. I hate this._

I don't know how long I lay next to my daughter, soothing her while she dreams dreams that I hope are nothing but fun and easy and everything a child's dream should be. Gently, I pull her tiny hand out of the vice grip on my shirt and pull her pink princess comforter up around her body. Knowing that if she wakes up with out something next to her she'll get scared, I grab her stuffed dog and wrap her arms around it. She picked it out herself when she was just one year old. Callie and I were walking around a store and Sofia just stuck out her arm and grabbed the all black stuffed animal and wouldn't let it go. He is named after the black German Sheppard that fell in love with my wife when we went to North Dakota. Johnny, and he is her night time protector, just like the real Johnny was Callie's night time protector when things got scary.

As I leave Sofia's room, I make sure to leave the door cracked just in case, then move across the hall to check on Miguel. His favorite blanket is draped over her chubby little body and his body is spread eagle. …_they sleep just like Callie._ Somehow, these tiny bodies take up the entire sleeping space, balling the blankets around them as they sleep. Placing a gentle kiss on his fuzzy haired head, I slowly back out of the nursery, making sure to keep the door cracked. I can hear Tim and Teddy talking downstairs. Again, Tim wouldn't leave, saying that as long as his family is under threat, he will be here to help keep the bad guys at bay. And Teddy ends up being wherever Tim is now a days. As I approach the master bedroom, I can see the soft glow of Callie's bedside lamp, like most nights. Usually it makes me feel warm and safe but… I just can't see her. Not yet. …_I have work to do._ So, instead of going through to the bedroom, I turn and enter into the office area. Bookshelves stacked high with Callie's medical books, research, case files… her entire life of work is in this room. Clearing the desk, I empty out a bag I brought from work, along with a few other items and get started.

I don't know how long I've been crouched over the desk, the lamp shining brightly on the items in my hands, but when I feel eyes watching me I glance up. Two brown eyes are staring at me from the cracked door, Callie's expression soft and heartbreaking.

"Hey." She whispers, not wanting to wake the kids.

"Hey." I say back as I watch her, trying to figure out what she wants that would make her talk to me. She slips into the office and shuts the door behind her.

"What are you doing?" She asks quietly as she see's what's in my hands. Spread out on the desk are a pair of Sofia's shoes, her backpack, one of Miguel's onesies and a tiny ID bracelet just big enough to get around his chubby ankle.

"Umm… I uhhh…" I'm not sure if I want to answer, because I'm preparing for the worst. I'm inserting GPS tracking devices into my kids stuff, just incase…_I don't even want to think about it._ "I'm…" She picks up one of the small chips, turning it over and over in her hand as she tries to remember where she saw one before. Light hits her eyes as she is taken back so many years ago, to the parking structure where I decided to take Callie off the grid. I threw my phone to the ground and smashed it, extracting a chip just like the one in her hand and throwing it into a cup of pop. Her eyes flash to mine, true terror raging through them as the pieces quickly come together in her mind.

"Just incase." I say, trying to explain. She bites her lip, trying to keep her tears at bay as she thinks about what it would be like if either of our children were taken from us. Silence fills the air, neither finding the others eyes. Finally, I can't take it anymore and I say "I'm sorry."

"I know." She replies softly. Our eyes lock, and tears threaten to fall from my baby blues. I open my mouth to say something, anything, but she just says "I know." She takes a step forward so she's right in front of me, her eyes boring into my soul.

"Calliope…" I breathe out. The next second she is straddling my lap as I sit in the chair, her hands finding hold in my hair as her forehead rests against mine. Tears streak her cheeks and land on mine.

"I'm scared." She whispers through trembling lips. Her eyes lock on to mine and tears start forming at the corner of my eyes.

"Me too." I reply. "But he's not going to win. WE are going to win. Sofia…Mowgli… you and me, we are going to be fine. I promise." Then I pull her lips down for a soft, salty kiss. Her front pressed flat against my front, my hands move from her head down her back. One kiss turns to two, then three. The next thing I know, her tongue is seeking access to my mouth and I eagerly part my lips. Callie's hips start to grind into my stomach, trying to find some sort of relief for her arousal. My hands dip below the fabric of her shirt and find her heated flesh.

"Arizona…" She whimpers out as she tries to pull my body even closer to hers. My hands have explored her bare back and slowly move around to her bare front. When she feels my flesh against her breasts, the way I hold and massage them, knead them and pinch her nipples just hard enough, a low guttural moan comes form deep within the Latina's chest. Her head gets thrown back as my lips attach to the vast expanse of naked skin on her neck, nipping and sucking at her sweet pulse point. Not being satisfied with what I already have, I grab the bottom of Callie's baggy t-shirt and pull it over her head. In a fluid motion, we move from sitting upright in a chair, Callie on top of me, to lying on the carpeted floor, me on top of Callie. Caramel hands start to yank at the bottom of my white collared shirt, not having the chance to change out of my work clothes yet. I sit back on my knees and pull the tailored shirt off me and throw it to the floor with Callie's old, stained Med school shirt.

"I need you." Callie gasps out as our lips meet again. I know what that means; it means no teasing, no playing. Pulling back and sitting on my knees, I hook my fingers around the elastic band of the shorts she's wearing and yank them off her strong legs, finding a bare core.

"Fuck." I groan as seeing her slick folds just waiting for me. Dark eyes stare up at me with lust, her fingers already working at the button of my slacks. I grab her wrists and pull them from me and place them above her head. My lips attach to hers as my right hand leaves hers above her head and snakes down between our bodies. Her teeth sink into my bottom lip, eliciting a hiss out of me just as I sink two fingers deep into her dripping core.

"Ah!" She cries out, a mixture of pleasure, surprise, and a hint of pain. Her eyes clamp shut as I start to thrust my hand in and out of her. Liquid sex collects in the palm of my hand as her scent of arousal fills the room and makes my head spin. My left hand, which has been supporting my weight over my wife, protests the strain on my fracture so I drop to my elbow, bringing me even closer to the face of the Latina. My body lays over her naked one, my hand working its magic between us as she hooks one leg around my waist to give me even deeper access.

"Yes…." She hisses as I continue to pump in and out of her, her nerve endings on fire. Polished fingernails dig into the skin on my back but the sensation makes me push harder, trying to give the love of my life everything I got, hoping its enough to prove that I'm enough. Prove that I can take care of her and our family. Prove that I'd never hurt them. The closer her peak comes, the more her nails cut my flesh, unaware of the strength of her grip. My lips reattach to her neck, working up her jaw line and finding her ear. I can feel her getting close, her walls threatening to trip her over the line. As I pull out, I curl my fingers to hit that sweet spot, her moans becoming more feral the closer she gets. One last flick across her clit and a firm nip at her earlobe does it, and her body tenses under me. Burying her face into the crook of my neck to muffle her cry, I continue to move within her, her fingernails cutting the last thin layer of cells and dragging down to just below my shoulder blades.

"Thank you…" Callie finally manages to breathe out, her heart still pounding as her body completely collapses. Her jello like arms come up and wrap around my neck, pulling me down in for a slow kiss. "Thank you thank you thank you." She whispers.

"You never have to thank me for that." I reply huskily as my own core aches for release, but watching what I just saw, watching Callie come undone is just as good as me getting my own release. Slowly, as our kiss becomes deeper and more passionate, as Callie's strength returns, our libido picks up yet again. Then, just as the surgeons' deft hands move to my own zipper, a soft knocking at the door makes us fly apart. Callie scrambles for her shorts as I pull my shirt back over my shoulders. Cracking the door and blocking the rest of the room with my body, I look out and see no one, until I glance down. Brown eyes are staring up at me, sleep fogging her mind and Johnny under her left arm.

"What's wrong baby girl?" I ask softly as I crouch down to be at her level, my shirt hanging open and exposing my abs and the blue lace bra I'm wearing.

"Bad dream." She says as she rubs her eyes and holds out both hands for me to lift her up.

"Oh baby." I pull her into my arms and stand as she buries herself into my body, her warm hand touching my heated flesh. Glancing over my shoulder, I catch Callie's eyes and say "I got her."

As I lay her back down in bed, I sit on the edge and stroke her hair. Many nights she has come into Callie's and my room with bad dreams, or scared from the thunder and lightening that happens frequently here in Seattle. But… this time I feel like I did this. I put these bad images and experiences in my daughters head and made her scared, made her sleep difficult.

"I'm so sorry, Sofia." I whisper as she is already starting to drift back off to sleep. "Nothing is going to happen to you. As long as I am breathing, as long as Uncle Tim is breathing… you will never have to worry about being hurt." Within minutes of laying her down, she's already fast asleep again, Johnny clenched firmly in her hands. I stay another ten minutes, just to make sure she's ok. With a soft kiss on her forehead, I walk out and leave the door cracked. Out of habit I enter the door across from Sofia's room and check on my son, seeing him still passed out, content in his dreams. Knowing that my family is safe, for now, I step into my own room, Callie curled up in bed and watching for me.

Turning away from Callie, I pull my shirt off to get into my own pajamas, I hear a gasp from the bed. Immediately off the bed, the Latina crosses the room and comes up behind me.

"Arizona…" She breathes out, her fingertips hover over the flesh of my back.

"What?" I ask, turning to face her and very confused.

"Your back…" She says, turning me back around and flipping on the bedside lamp to see better. I glance into the mirror over the dresser and turn so I can see what she's talking about. Over my two shoulder blades are eight long, very angry looking scratches that are starting to scab over.

"I'm so sorry." Callie says, knowing she did that in her moment of passion. Her head dips in shame and embarrassment. Hooking a finger under her chin, I lift her to catch her gaze. When brown eyes finally look up, I smile at her.

"Babe, its ok. …I've had a lot worse." Sadness is still on her face so I bring my lips to hers, trying to reassure her that it's ok. "Besides… it's been a while since I've had a sex injury." I say, which gets a small smile out of her. Her arms wrap around my naked torso, her hands ghosting up and making quick work of the clasp on my bra. Next, her fingers undo the button and zipper of my slacks expertly, sending them to the floor to bunch around my ankles. Her devilish smile breaks her face and I know I'm in for a treat. A hand on the skin between my breasts and she pushes me back until the back of my knees hit the bed. Again, she pushes and I fall back, bouncing on the mattress. Her eyes roam up and down my body, completely exposed except for the blue lacy material covering my sex.

"Calliope… don't tease me." I whisper as my body responds just to the way she is looking at me. She doesn't even need to touch me. My center is slick as the heat and ache return from twenty minutes ago. Callie crawls up the bed, and hovers over me, her silky black hair falling to one side and the scent of her shampoo invading my senses. My eyes roll back as I feel her breath inch closer to my lips… my neck… I open my lips fractionally, expecting a blazing kiss, but it doesn't come. Instead, those full lips move to my chest, down the valley between my breasts, to my navel and then linger just above the boundary established by my panties. My hand finds its way into those raven locks, urging her on and trying to direct her further south to the blazing desire pulsing within me. She buries her nose in the fabric, inhaling my scent deeply and a low moan escapes her lips.

"Calliope…" I whimper. Her nuzzling has pushed the fabric against my bundle of nerves, cranking my need up another notch. "…fuck!" Her fingers rub at the fabric, making my hips buck into her touch needing more, but then when I feel my orgasm start to build, she stops. "Fuck!" I groan, then lift my head up to see her eyes, a smile on her face as she enjoys this teasing.

"Do it, or I'll take care of it myself." I warn, so not in the mood for a long, drawn out game of her playing. She just chuckles, daring me. So, I reach down with my right and slip it underneath the material before she can blink. Immediately coating my fingers with my own juices, I give myself the attention that Callie has yet to. My eyes roll back as warmth floods my body. The bed shifts and I feel Callie tug off my panties and reposition herself at my center, but she doesn't stop me. Her eyes are wide as she watches at close range the way my fingers move over myself. The way my body responds, the way it aches for release.

"Enjoying yourself?" Callie asks in her husky, sex filled voice that drives me completely crazy.

"Not as much as if it were you doing this to me." I reply honestly. A couple more circle over my hard nub and then I feel the softness of a tongue against me. Immediately I pull back my hand and let Callie take over, and boy does she. Usually she starts slow, letting me build up to it, but I've taken care of that and now she is digging in like a southerner at a buffet.

"Oh god!" I cry out, bringing a pillow over my face to try and stifle the moans I can't seem to keep in. A strong hand finds hold on my right breast and pinches my nipple. My mind is spinning as my body is heating up, the warmth building and spreading down my legs and arms. My fingertips and toes are on fire, alive with pleasure. Her tongue licks and circles my clit as her lips attach around it and suck, my hips bucking into her face. The hand on my breast leaves and moves to just above my blonde curls, holding me down so I don't end up busting one of her lips open. Just when I think I'm in heaven, two fingers slip into my drenched opening, sending me into another level of bliss. Tossing the pillow, I grab the hand holding me down with my casted hand, my right finding hold in her hair again.

"Yes, don't stop. ….Oh god, that's the spot baby, right there." I groan when her finger finds that magic spot. She focuses on that spot, massaging and milking my g-spot for everything it has as her tongue increases its urgency on my clit. "Oh god… yes… Calliope…" My toes curl and my breathing stops, then I fall into oblivion. An orgasm rips through my entire body, splitting me in half, the epicenter being the points of her lips around my clit and her fingers within my heat. Its so powerful that I don't have a voice, my cry of immense pleasure being silent. I see stars as my body convulses, pushing me to the limits of pleasure. Then, just as suddenly as I fell, my body collapses, the muscles relaxing completely.

"Fuck me…" I gasp. Callie chuckles as she crawls up my body with a very triumphant smile on her lips.

"I think I just did." She purrs, then brings her still moist lips onto mine. I barely have enough energy to lift myself up enough to pull the covers out from under me and slip under them. Exhaustion from the last few days, plus the added post-coital serenity I'm in brings on the darkness at record speed. Quickly my eyes close, content that my children are sleeping safely in their beds and my wife is in my arms, and sleep soon welcomes me.

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><p>AN2: So… Callie seems to be coming around a little bit. But… only time will tell if the family will remain as peaceful as it is right now.<p> 


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: This is AU. I do not own any of the characters from Grey's Anatomy. I just manipulate them to my will. Also, any line or phrase or setting that seems remotely familiar from any other show, movie or book, also not mine.

AN: Sorry for the break. But this chapter just wasn't coming to me. Finally, here is the next installment. Enjoy!

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><p>Chapter 11<p>

Tense days passed as I waited for the other shoe to drop. I didn't know how long it would take for word to get back to the Boss that his sons and ex-lover where sitting pretty in county lock up…_all thanks to me._ But nothing happened. The weekend passed, nothing happened. Monday, and Tuesday passed… nothing. It's now been two weeks since I chased Frankie down and slapped the bracelets on him. Almost a week since his brother and mother joined him. Though, Cynthia was quickly given bail. Apparently the judge didn't agree with me that an older woman should be given such a strict sentence regarding her medication. I got a good talking to by the judge, the DA, and my boss but… I still, technically, didn't do anything wrong. She broke the law, and my job is to uphold the law. So… I collared her.

"Do we even know if he is still in town?" I ask one afternoon as Teddy and I are going over what we have for about the millionth time since this whole thing happened.

"No… not really." She answers. It's been silent for far too long and I don't know if it's just the calm before the storm, or if Max just doesn't care about his bastard sons. Both Frankie and Johnnie are to be transferred after their first court hearing in a couple days, but because their family isn't doing so well they are stuck with court appointed attorneys so… it's not looking too good for them. Not that they should get off, but sometimes those public defenders are greener than grass and have no business trying to take on a murder conviction.

"Damn it." I growl. This past week I have been running non-stop. Not only have I been trying to track down this asshole, but I've been figuring an escape plan for my family. …_I always have an escape plan._ This required a lot of fast moving and thinking but right now I feel confident that if something or someone where to attack my family, I would be able to get them out safely. …_I hope._

Teddy flips through the multiple files we have as I drum my fingers on my desk as I stare out my window. I know there is something that I haven't found yet. There is a piece of information that I'm over looking, or some question I'm not asking.

"Feel like a drive?" I ask my partner as I pull out my phone, not wanting to wait around any longer.

"Sure, where to?" She asks as she starts from the top of the file again.

"An old friend." I answer, then bring the phone up to my ear.

"**Spade."** The homicide detective answers.

"Hey, it's Robbins. Feel like getting a little lunch?" I ask, catching the eye of my partner.

"**You got a place in mind?"** I can almost hear the smile in her voice. Even though we got off on bad terms, Spade and I have more in common than I would have thought at first glance. We both hate sitting on our thumbs, and would much rather be on the streets, shaking things up and making the bad guys uneasy.

"How about this little deli down in SoSea?" I reply, getting a chuckle out of the homicide detective on the other side of the line.

"**Yeah… I could go for some deli. Pick me up in 10?" **I hear the sound of a busy precinct in the background, along with some rustling papers and a clicking of a gun being holstered.

"10-4." I reply and then hang up. Teddy and I round up our files, grab the important ones and head down to my waiting sedan since hers is still in the shop.

Forty five minutes later I pull up outside the same deli I was at just a week ago. Three women with guns strapped to them step out of the sedan, each looking up and down the street for any suspicious on lookers.

"We got the back." I motion to Teddy and I, knowing that the fewer cops that walk through the front door of that deli the better. As we move through the alleyway, we come up to the entrance to the shop and find the service door open. …_does he not learn?_ The two of us step into the dimly lit back room, the smell of fresh cut meat and baking breads greeting our nose. Teddy copies my movement to my gun. …_he raises a butcher knife to me again, I'll put a round through his dick._

"I don't know nothing!" I hear the man shout. Apparently Spade has asked him something that he is adamantly lying about, I don't need to see him to know that. Heavy footsteps come towards the back, but not fast like he's running, but stomping like he's pissed the fuck off. Coming through the plastic that hangs from the top of the door frame, his eyes meet not one but two FBI agents, hands on their weapons.

"Hey buddy." I say as I give him a sweet smile.

"Fuck!" He yells, throwing his hands up. Spade is soon behind him, after flipping the 'Open' sign over to 'Closed'. He tries to back track but is met by the cool and confident black detective behind him. He tries to side step but the tall blonde blocks his path. Finally, his eyes land back on me.

"What do you people want now? You're going to get me fucking killed!" His hands run through his hair as his anxiety doubles.

"I just have a couple questions." I say, my eyes searching his face and seeing signs of nervousness and anxiety. …_he knows something. Just have to figure out what._

"What? !" He exclaims.

Leveling my gaze and stepping up I ask "Is he still in town?" His pupils dilate, telling me his is thinking about lying. A quick look around at his audience and he decides against that route.

"Yes." He finally states.

"What's he planning?" I quickly fire at him.

"I don't know." He answers. I'm not buying it and take another step forward which forces him to take a step back, almost walking into Detective Spade. He fixes his jaw and levels his eyes at me and states firmly "I. Don't. Know. …For some reason I'm not in the loop like I use to be… maybe because so many fucking cops are seen coming into my deli!" …_he may have a point._

"Any chatter?" Spade asks.

"No." He states indifferently with a big roll of his eyes. My patience already being thin, this breaks it completely and I grab him by the throat and shove him back against the freezer. Both Teddy and Sharice freeze, not expecting my sudden movements.

"Listen up, fucker. My family is on the line. If I find out that you are holding something back from me, the next piece of meat going through that meat slicer will be your dick. And I WILL make sure you are conscious for every second of it. Do I make myself clear?" My fingers are placed strategically, blocking off not only the flow of oxygen but also the blood flow to his brain. Within seconds I can see a haze cloud his eyes, signaling impending unconsciousness.

"Yes." He gasps. Instantly, I release my hold, letting him fall to the floor as he tries to collect himself.

"Let's go." I say, giving him one last look. I probably just burned my bridge but I couldn't help it. I haven't ran in a week, and my nerves are shot so… I exploded a little. Better than me shooting someone. Teddy and I slip out the back as Spade goes out the front. We hook up a block down just incase someone was watching and continue back to the precinct. Teddy and I spend a couple minutes at Spades desk, just talking and working through all the facts like we have done a hundred times, when her phone rings.

"Detective Spade." She answers. Her eyes immediately flash to mine and I know something is up. "Uh huh… is that so? …Alright." She hangs up and stands.

"What's up?" I ask, the butterflies in my stomach doing barrel rolls and my wrist throbbing from the amount of pressure I am exerting on the coffee cup in my hand.

"Johnnie wants to talk." Sharice says with a grin. …_about fucking time._ The three of us move down to the interrogation rooms, waiting for the prisoner to arrive from county lock up. Twenty minutes later, as the three of us are waiting in the observation room, a uniformed officer escorts a very pale looking Jonathan Nealy/Johnnie O'Neal into the room and cuffs his bracelets to the table.

"How we going to play this?" Spade asks.

"I don't know…" I reply softly as I approach the one way mirror. I study the man. His head is dipped, telling me he's ashamed or scared. His skin is definitely paler, and his cheeks are a little more hallow than before. …_he is not liking jail. He's going to like prison even less._

"We'll just have to wait and see what he's got for us." I say. Then a woman enters the interrogation room, briefcase in hand. …_lawyer._ She takes a seat and leans in close to her client to whisper in his ear.

"Ready?" I ask my partners, not turning my gaze away from the man in front of me. Teddy stays in the observation room, her mic'ed up to talk into my earpiece incase she needs to tell me something, and Sharice on my six. Wanting to make an entrance, like this requested meeting has interrupted my day, I open the door strong enough for it to fly back and slam against the wall. The lawyer and Johnnie jump clean out of their seats, both sets of eyes wide in shock. I enter the room, saying nothing, and move to the corner. Spade takes the only other seat at the table and places a thick file down.

"So, Mr. Nealy. You said you wanted to talk." Spade says softly. He opens his mouth to speak but I cut him off, wanting to piss him off a little bit.

"Who are you?" I ask, my eyes staring right at the woman in a skirt suit. Her eyes connect with mine and my insides quiver alittle bit. She hot, definitely, but there is also a hint of power and assertiveness with this woman.

"Sean Quinn. Jonathan's defense attorney." She says flatly. Her dirty blonde hair is styled perfectly, her face made up with very professionally and her clothes are amazingly tailored. …_she is NO public defender. Who foot the bill for her services?_

"And you must be Agent Robbins." She says, her eyes roaming up and down my own body. It feels like we are two boxers sizing each other up before a match.

"Special Agent." I correct her, never breaking our gaze.

"Of course." She replies with a smirk and a glint in her eye. Finally, she is the one that breaks our staring contest, turning back to the homicide detective in front of her.

"**I'll get a background check on her." **Teddy's voice crackles in my ear. This is why we work so well together. We think the same. I don't have to tell her what to do; she knows it and does it.

"So Ms. Quinn, does your client have something to tell us. Or are you in the habit of wasting law enforcements time?" Spade asks as she sits back like she is bored with this whole thing already. I don't take my eyes off that attorney. Something about her just… isn't sitting well. …_it's the Robbins gut. It may not make sense all the time, but it's never wrong._

"It wasn't me." He says quietly.

"Speak up O'Neal." I say harshly, making him shrink back, getting a hard glare from Sean.

"He said, it wasn't him that killed the two cops." She states firmly.

"We have your blood on the bodies." Sharice responds. It's the nail in his coffin. Blood on two shot and stabbed cops pretty much means you will die in prison.

"That doesn't mean he was the one that killed them." His attorney rebuttals. "What was the cause of death?"

Sharice catches my eye then states. "They were tasered in the back of their neck. Then stabbed and bleed out. Gun shots where post-mortem."

"I didn't stab em." Johnnies says, getting a hush out of his attorney.

"My client was not the one that murdered your officers, Detective." The woman states calmly. _…so he only shot them in the head after they were already dead? Yeah, that's so much better._

"We have your blood. …You have a cut on your hand." I state, easily following my own train of logic. Everyone has.

"The coroners report states that the victims were stabbed at an upward angle, with the blade pointed down. If my client was, in fact, the one who stabbed them… and ended up cutting his hand, the cuts would be on the fingers. And not on the palm of his hand." Her eyes find mine again. Challenging me.

"So?" Sharice spits.

"So…" Sean drops my gaze and turns her glare to the detective. "…he didn't kill them."

"Unless you have a name, address and a fucking pool party invitation for this supposed second assailant, Johnnie is going do for this." I say.

"I don't know a name." He says softly. I just suck at my teeth, give a half hearted shrug then go to exit the room. "I didn't do it!" He calls after me, feeling like his chances of getting any leeway in this case going down the drain.

"We need something Johnnie." Sharice says as she leans in closer to the guy.

"A wo-" He starts but his attorney cuts him off.

"We want a deal." She says shortly.

"No deal unless he gives us what we want." I spit, meeting the woman's glare again. …_there's something about her. Why can't I put my finger on it?_ "And I don't mean a woman with brown hair and green eyes. I need a fucking name. A location. A phone number. A fucking license plate. Something that I can tie to a person." Sharice stares down the prisoner while I stare down his attorney. Seconds pass, a minute.

"We're done here." I say, breaking the silence and moving to the door. Spade is immediately behind me. Teddy falls in step as we move away from the interrogation room and back towards the bullpen. "Get the ME to look over the body again. Crime Scene to go every fucking piece of evidence they got. I don't care if it takes all night. I want to know if there is just ONE drop of unknown DNA."

"He was going to say 'woman'." Teddy says.

"Yeah. …But women don't usually stab. It's too messy for them. If anything the woman would have shot them, and Johnnie stab them." I say, trying to piece together the newest piece of information. I pull out my pocket knife, click it open then reenact the stabbing. Its true, if I were to stab up into a victim like the two cops were, my fingers would end up being cut, and not my palm.

"But… they were stunned first. And the ME says it was a big stun. Probably knocked both victims out for a while." Teddy adds.

"You think he's lying?" Spade asks after hanging up with the crime unit.

"Do you think he's lying?" I reply. This is her area of expertise. She knows murderers. I just know how to read people.

"I never believed he could do something like that. He doesn't have that kind of anger or rage required for what happened." She replies as she tries to rub out the stress from her face. "He's a submissive personality. He'd do what he was told to. Especially if it was to cover up for someone important to him."

"So we're talking family?" I ask.

"Probably." Sharice says as she flops down in her desk chair. …_great. _The three of us spend a few minutes in silence, each going over the facts one more time. My mind is spinning in circles. I know I'm missing something but for the life of me I can't figure it out. And what's worse is that my children, my wife may be harmed because I can't figure this damn case out. I need to find Max and put him away. That's the only way I can be sure my family stays safe. …Or, I could forget it. I could sweep it under the rug. He's gone silent for two weeks. Maybe he really is gone. …_maybe. _

"Come on Teds. Let's go." I say, and we say our partings to the overworked homicide detective. When we get back to the Bureau, a quick check in with my teams and find out that there is still no break in the case. And apparently the Director has placed O'Connor on the back burner again, realigning 3 out of my 4 teams to other jobs. …_bastard._ So now, instead of 18 people hunting down Max, I only have a team of four plus, Teddy, Sharice and myself. He's even pulling back the two agents who are doing security detail. …_I'm on my own again._

"Fuck!" I exclaim as I step into the sanctity of my own office, Teddy shutting the door behind her. "What do I do, Teds? I need help. I'm… I'm fucking drowning here." I say as I flop down into one of my chairs. Teddy takes a seat behind my desk as she pulls up the files once again.

"I close my eyes at night and… and I see them. I see those two cops, only instead of their faces, I see Sofia and Miguel. Then I bolt out of bed in a cold sweat… Callie is… god I don't know. She's everywhere. One minute she hates my guts then the next she's jumping my bones." My head falls back as I shut my eyes. I haven't had a decent nights sleep since this whole thing began and frankly, I feel like I'm a second away from cracking. "Do I let him go?" I ask softly.

"Do you want to let him go?" She asks in response.

"I want my family safe." I reply.

"That's not an answer." She says. …_knew she took one too many Bureau psych courses._ "You let Max go, and you send a message to every bad guy out there that all they have to do is threaten to get their way. …We are the thin blue line that divides us from the apes." Teddy states. "It's because of people like you and me, Arizona, that make people like Max cower in their darkest corners. We can't just… just give up our fight against them." I meet her gaze, willing myself to believe as strongly as she does… as strongly as I did a couple weeks ago.

"But… your family is my family too. If you say the word, we will sweep Max O'Connor under the rug and let someone else deal with him down the road." My partner adds as she props her feet up on my desk, feeling perfectly at home there even though I am technically her boss.

"I need to work out." I state matter of factly and grab my ever present gym bag. Its been almost two weeks since I've ran, just because I didn't want to leave my family unprotected before the agents arrived, and now my nerves are wired. So, I need to exercise. Maybe a good sweat will clear my mind. Changing out of my suit and pulling on my usual gym attire, a pair of running pants and a sports bra, I make my way from the locker room to the gym. I talked Callie into taking the hard cast off and giving me a soft one, so I slip that off as well. Cranking up my iPod, placing my phone where I can see it, I jack up the speed on the treadmill and pound the pavement. Miles pass easily as my mind wanders, my nerves and anger and rage and fear pushing me on further and further. Sweat collects on my brow and down my chest. Most in the bureau know I'm happily married, but that doesn't mean guys don't like to cruise. I just roll my eyes when I catch one staring a little too hard. …_pervs._

Only when my lungs are on fire and my side is in stitches do I look down and see how far I've gone. "Damn…" I breathe out, decreasing the speed to cool down a little. …_eight and a half miles. Guess I had a lot to think about._ A few minutes of cool down, I step of the machine and head towards the training dummies. Taping up my hands, making sure to add some extra support to my left wrist, I unleash hell on the fake man. I imagine his face is that of Max, or Frankie, or Johnnie… hell, the Director makes a couple appearances as I beat the shit out of the dummy. A hand on my shoulder makes me jump and, being in fighting mode, I spin and raise my hands ready for a fight.

"Woah… easy Robbins." The woman says, holding her own hands up.

Pulling my ear buds out of my ear, I say "Sean, what the hell are you doing here?" This is a first. I've never had a personal visit from a defense attorney before. Her eyes rake up and down my slick body, like she's appraising a piece of meat.

"I looked for you in your office but… you weren't there." She says as I walk off the mat and grab a towel. Wiping off my brow, then my arms and stomach, I turn back to the bag and keep working.

"Is there something I can do for you Ms. Quinn?" I ask in between blows to the sternum. My muscles are on fire but it's the only way to get all my stress out. Going home with it all is only upsetting my wife and daughter further, and they've been through enough as it is.

"My client is willing to cooperate fully with the investigation into murder of those siblings." She says in a very professional manner. My rage boils over and I land a right hook across the dummies face, knocking the bag to the ground with a crash. Spinning on my heels, I step right up to the woman in her thousand dollar suit and thousand dollar high heels.

"Jonnie O'Neal IS the investigation." I state as I my eyes look up into hers.

"How about you come to my office tomorrow. We'll talk then when you've had time to clear your head." She says softly as her eyes look me up and down yet again. "And come by yourself." She adds as her fingertip traces lightly up the dip between my abs. A sultry wink and the woman turns on her heel and sashays out of the gym, my eyes glued to her the entire trip. Something about this woman is triggering all kinds of alarms in my head. She's more involved in all this than JUST a defense attorney. But... I can't believe that she is on the wrong end of it all. One last look at her retreating form and I turn back to my capsized dummy. I contemplate putting in another ten minutes but a glance at the clock on the wall and I decide against it. I have a family waiting for me, and now they are unguarded and unwatched. Hopefully I'll be enough, whenever anything does happen.

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><p>AN2: Hmmm… some new players. Sean? Good guy or bad guy? What about the Director? He seems kind of fishy to me… pulling security detail and all. Think there was a second assailant, or is Johnnie just rocking the boat? Let me know!<p> 


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: This is AU. I do not own any of the characters from Grey's Anatomy. I just manipulate them to my will. Also, any line or phrase or setting that seems remotely familiar from any other show, movie or book, also not mine.

AN: I know, been a couple days since I updated. Sorry. So… Arizona has a 'date' with Sean. Will she go? Or will she blow her off like she did with Frankie? Let's find out what trouble she gets into now. Enjoy!

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><p>Chapter 12<p>

"Where's Wilson, Mommy?" Sofia asks as I get her ready for school the next day. She's somehow been able to break down the agent's tough exterior and bring the kid out of him. At first he just stayed outside her room, stiff and pissed off. But within days, Sofia and he were best friends, having their own inside jokes and stories about their time at school together.

"He has to go back to work, baby girl." I say as I run around the kitchen trying to get the kids ready for yet another day.

"I miss Wilson." She says sadly, pulling out her signature pout.

"Well… I'll get you a volleyball and some red paint." I say offhandedly. "Callie!" I call out, glancing at the clock on wall. …_seriously, I need to set every fucking clock in this house forward ten minutes._ "Calliope hurry up, you're going to be late!" I call up the stairs.

"I'm the boss. I show up when I want to." She says as she strides into the room, her long black hair billowing behind her as her perfume invades my senses. "Morning." She whispers as she places a hand on my hip and gives me a quick peck.

"You're running late." I say sharply.

"What's with the attitude?" Her eyes furrow as she pulls back from the less than welcoming kiss I gave her.

"I need to get Sofia to school." I answer, my mind running a million miles a minute at all the shit I have on my plate. "Remember that we don't have a detail anymore so just…" I pause at what I'm doing, and turn to face my wife who is standing still, just listening. Taking a step towards her, I cup her cheek and continue. "…Just be careful. Ok?" She nods. I told her last night that the director pull our security detail, stating that the threat was over, but I still don't think it is.

"Promise me, ok? …If the hairs on the back of her neck stand up or, or, or if you start feeling off, listen to your instincts alright? Call myself of Tim." I tell her for the tenth time already.

"Ok, I promise Arizona." She says. One more kiss, and another promise to stay frosty, I give Mowgli a kiss and grab Sofia. Even though the security detail has been pulled doesn't mean I'm letting Sofia out of adult supervision. I plan on dropping her off, and having someone pick her up everyday. Once at school, I have a quick talk with her teacher, as well as another talk with my daughter. She recites her promise to not talk to any strangers and I make sure she whispers the magic code in my ear. She knows not to go anywhere with anyone who doesn't know the magic word. A kiss on the cheek and I finally head to work.

A morning of all the normal stuff, running around like a chicken with its head cut off, and I finally catch a break. Teddy has Sean's background check but I don't get a chance to peruse it by the time we get to her building. It's just after ten in the morning when my partner and I step into Quinn's office.

"May I help you?" A young man asks as soon as Teddy and I break the barrier into the waiting room.

"Special Agent Arizona Robbins, this is Special Agent Teddy Altman. FBI." I say as I flash my badge. "We need to speak to Ms. Quinn." He looks a little startled at first, but then buzzes his boss and soon the office door opens.

"Agent Robbins." Sean greets with a big smile on her perfectly made up face. Her blonde hair is pulled up in a loose, messy looking bun, but somehow it's very sexy. Her lean body is fitted with a perfectly tailored silk blouse and beautiful skirt that probably costs a small fortune.

"Special Agent." I correct as I move into her office.

"Of course. …Could you give me one minute?" She asks, her eyes darting to my partner who also has slipped into the room. Teddy takes a seat in one of the chairs in front of the woman's desk as I keep to the back of her office as she continues her call from her chair behind her desk. It's obviously not an important call otherwise she wouldn't let anyone in on it, so instead of listening in, I move around the room and observe. It's made up in dark colors. Leather chairs and dark wash woods. It's got that homey, powerful feel. And it tells me everything I need to know about this woman whose presence I'm in.

She finishes her call and stands. "Sean Quinn." The woman introduces herself to Teddy.

"Special Agent Teddy Altman." Teddy replies, taking the woman's hand and exchanging a solid handshake.

"Special Agent Robbins?" Sean asks, making me turn on my heel and face her. "I thought I asked you to come by yourself."

"The FBI doesn't do that. We have partners for a reason." I state firmly. The attorney takes her seat and just stares at me with her bright green eyes. After a couple seconds, my curiosity takes hold of me. "Why don't you step outside, Altman." Teddy gives me a hard look, but knows that anything Sean tells me I will quickly pass on to her. When the door clicks shut behind my partner, I meet the woman's eyes again.

"So… what can I do for you, Ms. Quinn." I stay standing while the woman stays seated, my eyes trained on her micro expressions.

"You are quite the woman, Agent Robbins." She states, ignoring my question. "Very impressive. But… I'm wondering if you're as good as I've heard."

"What have you heard?" I ask, still moving around the room. I can see that its making her a little anxious and right now, I need to be the one in control of the situation, even if Sean thinks she is.

"That you have an almost… Jedi sense." She answers which gets me to break from my usual stone faced.

"Well… I do what I can." I reply diplomatically. …_Jedi? Awesome._

"I'm sure you've read up on me as well." There's a slight smile on her face, almost like she wants me to know about her performance, likes she wants to impress me.

"Actually I haven't had the pleasure of reading your file. My partner has but… I'm shooting blind right now." I answer as I start to pace around her office again, making sure my gun is always exposed. It keeps people on their toes.

"Really? …Then why don't you show me a little something. Profile me. …Use that Jedi power." She says. I stop my pacing and turn to face her head on. We exchange a gaze for half a minute while I try to read the woman in front of me. Something just doesn't click with her. Nothing about what she's done so far as told me that she's a good guy…_she's trying to get a murderer off the hook. _But something… something is nagging at me.

"What's the matter, Arizona? Can't figure me out?" She purrs, her tongue running across her lips as she addresses me by my first name.

Taking a deep breath, I take a step forward, her eyes following me every inch. "You're an only child."

"That it?" She asks. "You had a 50-50 shot. Not impressive Agent Robbins." She taunts me.

With a smirk on my face I continue "Second generation American, but your parents had a very thick Irish accent. One that you've been able to get away from… almost. And… you were raised with a single parent. Your father. You mother either died or left you when you were about 6, my money is on she died. …How am I doing so far?" I see her eyes open fractionally, showing shock and surprise. …_take that as a 'good'. _"The alcohol you keep in stock is Scotch which tells me that your primary role model growing up was a male figure, most likely your father, maybe even a close uncle. You wear that gold cross around your neck, yet you're not religious. Which tells me that it's a keepsake. …Was it your mothers?" I ask.

Sean, whose eyes have grown wider and wider as I go on all the while she plays with a ring on her finger, brings her manicure hand up to the necklace and caresses the tiny gold cross. "It was my grandmothers; she gave it to my Mom." She answers softly. I just nod. …_another point for me._

"You're in a relationship that you're not sure you want to be in. You two have recently discussed a big step. I'm thinking the other person asked you to move in with them. But… you're not ready for that. So now you're battling with yourself. …Do I stick it out and see if I will love her like she loves me. …Or do I get out while I can?" I continue, my eyes never leaving hers.

"How do you-" She starts but I hold up a hand, not wanting to be interrupted while I'm on a roll.

"I look around this room and I see… someone lost. Trying to fit in. Cornell education tells me that you… you're an excellent student. But didn't have the money for Yale." I pause as I examine the diploma on her wall. She just nods. "Instead of fighting your male competitors head on, you try to align yourself with them. Though you dress impeccably, you adorn your office walls with sports memorabilia but… you hate sports. I mean, you certainly don't know anything about them."

This gets her a little agitated and she tries to defend herself. "Well I-"

"No, it wasn't a question." I cut her off. "You don't. You have basketball, football, hockey… soccer. There's no rhyme or reason behind your collection. Not a city, or even region in particular. Not an era, or even a specific color… you're all over the map. …You're lost. But you're still trying." After one last glance at her collection, I turn back around and catch her gaze.

"Is that all?" She asks sarcastically, obviously not expecting to be torn apart like I just did.

"Yes, well no. Your feet hurt. You stayed seated during your call even though over 90% of women pace while they talk on the phone. Which tells me the shoes you wore yesterday were a size too small. …Price we pay for beauty…" I add, smiling at the look of shock on the woman's face. "So… now that you know that I know you. Will you tell me why you asked me here? I don't usually make office visits." I quip.

"Well, I thought maybe we could help each other out." She says as she stand and rounds her desk, wincing slightly as her feet protest the mile high heels she is wearing today. Her perfectly fitted skirt rides up a bit when she leans back against the front of her desk as her eyes scan me up and down. "I have a client that is… lost. And you have a problem on your hands." Sean continues.

"Your client put a bullet through the forehead of two Seattle police officers. He doesn't sound lost to me. Sounds like he knew exactly what he was doing." I fire back. "And I don't have a problem."

"Look, Agent Robbins. I get that you want to put a cop killer away. But that's not my client. He's being blackmailed." Sean says. Even though I don't want to believe it, her face and expressions tell me she is telling the truth.

Going along with this, I ask. "Blackmailed? By who?"

"The same person threatening your family." Sean tells me, her eyes never leaving mine.

"He's being blackmailed by his father? …Max O'Connor?" I ask incredulously.

"Yes. Jonathan wants nothing to do with what his father does, nor his brother. But he got into some trouble and they were the only ones who pulled him back up out of the hole. Now he owes them a debt. One he paid by…" Her voice fades out as she tries to find a diplomatic way to say what Johnnie did.

"By putting bullets into two police officers that could pass as 25 year old versions of my own children." I continue, and she just nods. "O'Connor was the one who retained your services for Johnnie, wasn't he?"

"You know I can't divulge that information Agent Robbins." She gives me a pointed look but touches her nose, universal signal to 'that's it'.

Taking a second to connect all the dots, I reply "So… your position is-"

"Very delicate, yes." She says. "Johnnie goes away for murder, his father won't be too happy with me. But, if I say Johnnie did Max's bidding… he'd be just as unhappy."

"Ok so… you haven't told me anything I didn't already know." I reply. …_knew this was one big waste of time._ "So, if that's all. I have fugitives to hunt." I turn on my heel and make it to the door.

"Wait!" Sean calls after me. I stop midstride and turn back to face her. Quickly, she scribbles something on a piece of paper, tears it off a pad and folds it up. "Maybe this may be of some use to you." Our eyes connect again as she slips the paper into my hand, our flesh brushing each others as our eyes lock. "Good day, Agent Robbins." She says, breaking the spell I seem to have fallen under.

"Right… uh, bye. Ms. Quinn." I reply then fumble behind me for the door handle. Finally I find it and pull it open, stepping out of the room that seemed to rise 100 degrees in the last minute. I don't look back as I signal for Teddy to follow me. Once I slip behind the wheel of my car, Teddy in shotgun, I take a deep breath. …_what the hell was that about? You're married. You have kids! What the hell, Robbins?_

"…Arizona!" Teddy exclaims, making me jump. My blue eyes find those of my partners and I give her the 'what?' look. "I asked, what did she want?"

"I uhh.. I-I… ummm." Shaking my head and taking another breath, I remember the paper grasped in my hand. Unfolding it, I read over the tight scrawl of the defense attorney. "We have a date." I state flatly.

An hour and a half later, Teddy and I are casing a run down building. The note from the attorney had an address on it and a time. Not sure what I'm about to step into, I decide to check it out in stealth mode. Meaning me and my partner, making little noise as possible as opposed to bringing in a team of people. From what I can tell from the outside, its some sort of old warehouse or factory. Only about 20% of the buildings in this part of town are actually occupied and used, so my bet is that this is another abandoned space.

"What do you say boss?" Teddy asks after a half hour of staking the place out. In that time, no one has come or gone from the place. In fact, the entire street seems to be vacated expect for the bums and crackheads.

"Feel like a little B&E?" I ask. She just smiles. We pull on our Kevlar vests and approach the building with our weapons drawn. A quick sweep around the outside, checking windows and doors as we go, and we come up with nothing.

"I think that back door is the best access." Teddy says. We move around the back and I attempt to open the door.

"Fuck. It's locked." I say. Holstering my weapon and pulling out my lock pick set; I kneel down in front of the door. Inserting the two safety pin sized metal pins, I work the lock. Ten seconds later, the lock clicks open and the door swings free. Giving my partner a wink, I stand up and grab my sidearm. "Anyone asks, that door was unlocked." I whisper.

"What door?" Teddy asks and we both let out a soft laugh. We pull out our flashlights and get ready to enter the unknown space. With a nod, we storm the place and move through the entrance and into the open floor warehouse. Its old, dark, dusty and mostly empty. There is a card table and a couple fold out chairs with some fast food trash in the center. …_someone's been here._ We move around cases set in the center of the floor and clear the entire building.

"Clear." Teddy says.

"Yeah, all clear." I reply, slightly winded. We convene at the center where the cases are. "What do you think we have here?"

"I don't know. But I always loved Christmas." Teddy replies. I pull out my pocket knife and pry open the first wooden crate. "Sweet jesus…" Teddy breathes out.

"You could say that again." I whisper. The crate, probably 2 feet by 2 feet, and one foot deep, is full of 100 dollar bills. Quickly counting up the number of identical crates, there has to be at least thirty. Teddy reaches in and pulls out a bill.

"Think it's real?" She asks as her fingers feel the surface. I pull out my lighter out of my pocket and take the bill from my partner. Her eyes see the silver case and her mouth drops open. "Really? You're smoking again? Does Callie know?"

"I've been under some stress alright? Would you rather I smoke or shoot someone?" I shoot back. I flick open the metal lid and light the 100 dollar bill, and orange sheen erupting at the tip of the flame. "Orange." Orange flame means that the paper is at least genuine.

"It's real?" Teddy exclaims. "Let's see… 2x2x1 …. 30 crates…" My partner starts the math to figure out how much money is being held in this warehouse. As she thinks, I hold my flashlight to another bill. …_son of a bitch._

"Teds, look at this." I say. "Look at the water mark." I hold the bill up, the light shining on the opposite side.

"Ok… it's Lincoln." She says, obviously lost.

"Right. And he belongs on the five. Ben should be there." I explain, suddenly thankful I took those counterfeiting seminars the Bureau gave years ago.

"So it is counterfeit. …Really good counterfeit." Teddy says as she smells the money. I do the same, and it has no scent. …_genuine paper. Damn good printing ink. From what I can tell, the press is perfect. This is a high end counterfeiting ring. How does Johnnie and Sean play into all of this?_

"Yeah." I say offhandedly as my mind starts to race. …_we need to bust whoever is suppose to pick this money up._ "Come on, we need to seal this place up and get a unit over here. Sean wrote down 730. That's probably when who ever this money belongs to is going to come pick it up." Teddy agrees and we hurriedly close the crate back up, pounding the nail back in then exit the building the way we came in, making sure to lock the door behind us.

After a not so happy phone call with my wife, and an even worse one with my director who chewed my ass for going into the building blind and on a hunch, Teddy and I are staked out outside the warehouse with two swat teams the next block over. The clock reads 7:15 and I'm getting anxious. This is what I love to do, field work. I was born to do this; I was trained to run towards gun fire, not away. But it's because of this instinct that I've taken myself out of the field. I have a wife and a family. It wouldn't be fair to them if I ended up injured or killed because I'm an adrenaline junkie.

"**Team Alpha. Eyes on dark sedan heading your way."** One of the swat leaders calls over the radio.

"Roger that Alpha." I respond into my mic. Turning to my partner, I ask "So much for family night, huh?"

"No offense, but I'd take a raid over Callie's cooking any day." Teddy says with a smile. Another reason she and I get on so well, we are women of action. We don't like driving a desk. We have guns and we like to use them. Our laughing is interrupted by the glow of headlights coming in from the left.

"Team Zebra. Eyes on targets. Coming from the south. Over." I say into my mic. Moments later, I add "Team Zebra. Eyes on second sedan coming from the north." A second car appearing from the opposite side.

"**Roger that Zebra. Team Charlie ready."**

"Roger that Charlie. Team Alpha, can I get a go?"

"**Team Alpha a go."**

"On my signal, we do a hard entry from the south. Agent Altman will be with Team Charlie. Agent Robbins will be with Alpha." Teddy and I watch through sets of binoculars from a block away as the group of guys exit their cars, take a hard look around and then move into the building. My spidey tenses are firing on all cylinders and I know that this bust could go either way. …_really good, or really bad._ Once most of the crew enter, I give the signal for the swat teams to take their position.

Turning to my partner, who is checking her sidearm one more time, we catch each other's gaze. "Going in alive." I say calmy.

"Coming out the same." She finishes. A knock on each other's arms and we leave our stake out position to meet up with our designated SWAT team. Once I meet up with my team, a block east of our target, I go over the plan one more time. We stay in the shadows for a couple minutes, giving the guys a chance to get comfortable. Fifteen minutes into their meeting, I give the sign to move into position around the warehouse. After two silent takedowns of their lookouts, we converge at the entry point. My adrenaline is pumping and my heart is racing. This feeling is what drives me. Knowing that anything can happen once we breach this door. It's terrifying and exhilarating all at once. Better than any drug out there. …_deep breath Robbins. Focus. Push. You know how to work it._

With a nod from me, the breech man busts through the door with a battering ram and the swat team swarms the building. "FBI! GET ON THE GROUND!" The guys yell, dispersing around the warehouse in a precise, practiced way. The first couple guys we come upon surrender quickly. Pushing through the open floor plan, not realizing how many cover spots there actually are, we work as a team to clear the building.

Some yelling from the other end of the warehouse and then gun fire. …._fuck! _"FBI! Drop your weapons!" I yell, heading towards the action. All hell erupts after that. Gunfire from both sides. Irish guys and guys yelling in a language I can't pin down in the heat of the moment. I get pinned down with one swat member as back up approaches from behind us. Peeking around the metal barrel I'm using as cover, I see one armed man. Waiting until he has to reload, I turn and send a round through his leg, effectively bringing him down. I never go for the kill shot unless I have to.

Out of the corner of my eye I see another swat guy approach, attempting to give us some backup when another barrage of gunfire rains upon us.

"AH!" The man yells, hitting the deck. I see blood start to pool around him. …_damn it._

"We got a man down!" I yell into the mic strapped to my Kevlar vest. Taking a peek back around the barrel, I count three guys facing us. …_not good odds. _"Cover me." I yell to the swat guy next to me. He nods, gives me a three count then lays down suppressing fire as I run out into no man's land. I keep my head down and center of gravity low. My heart is racing and even after all these years and time in the FBI, my mind starts to threaten a flash back to my time in the Marines. …_no. Breathe, Robbins. Get your man. Get your man out of the line of fire._

"Come on bubba." I pull the fallen man up by the arm pits and drag him back behind the nearest cover. Keeping my head down, I look at his wound. …_fuck. Looks like it might have clipped his femoral._ "Sorry dude, I need this." I tell him as I strip him of his belt then tighten it just below his groin. He growls in pain but I tighten it even more.

"Stay here." I yell, which gets a chuckle and an eye roll from the big guy, then pull out my weapon and continue to push back the bad guys. The rest of my team advances and the few remaining guys flee further back into the warehouse. My team and I convene outside one room, laying siege to the last unknown number of bad guys.

"What we got?" I ask as I take a firing position next to my partner.

"Three, maybe for crazies inside." Teddy says, swat guys lining up on either side of us.

"Flash bang?" I ask. She nods in agreement. Turning to one of the swat leaders, I slap his shoulder and signal for the use of a flash bang to shock the guys still in the room. He nods then yells out orders to his team. We take our positions on either side of the door.

On my nod, a pin is pulled and canister thrown through the cracked door. Everyone turns their head away from the room, protecting our eyes and ears. When we hear the bang, we make a hard entry, filing into the room guns drawn.

"FBI! On the ground!"

"Get on the ground!"

"Freeze!" It's chaos. This room isn't so much a room but another ware house. …_how did Teddy and I miss this?_ The first two guys are quickly contained, but the last guy has other plans. Shooting at us to keep my team and I back, he lays some rounds through the thick glass of the lower level windows. It shatters and he easily slips out of the building. …_fuck. Why do they always run?_

"Teddy!" I yell, taking off after the guy.

"On your six." She calls after me, giving chase as well. Once out the window, my partner and I turn right, downhill, following the guy who is still armed. I don't know how many rounds he has left, but I know that he's not afraid to use them which makes this guy extremely dangerous. Barreling down a sidewalk in the pitch black, street lights being low priority in this part of Seattle, Teddy and I round a corner we saw the suspect take. Slowing and raising our weapons, we turn and see that it's a dead end. The small guy is looking for any way out but sees none, a brick wall on either side and a fifteen foot wooden fence in front of him. Behind him, two very pissed off female FBI agents.

"FBI!" I yell, approaching slowly, Teddy on my rear. He freezes, but doesn't turn. I can see his hand grip his weapon. …_don't do it man. Don't do it. I don't want to pull this trigger._ "Drop the weapon, and put your hands in the air." I command him, but still he doesn't listen. By now I'm about ten yards from the guy, approaching slowly.

"Poschel von!" He yells at me in a language I don't understand, then turns and raises his weapon. I don't think. I just act. I pull my trigger two times. Two rounds exit the barrel of my gun. And two rounds drive deep into the man's chest. He's dead before he hits the ground. Keeping my gun trained on the man, I approach and kick his weapon away from his body. When Teddy has my back, I kneel down and check for a pulse.

"He's gone." I whisper. I hate this part of the job. I've killed before, of course. In the Marines I took untold number of lives, all supposedly for the greater good. All were the bad guys, but blood is blood. Every time I take a life, they take a little of myself with them. …_rest in peace._

"This is Agent Altman. I need back up two blocks north of target. Call the coroner as well. We got a deadly shot." Teddy says over the radio, and is soon met with an affirmative. She sees me still hunched over the man and places a hand on my shoulder. "Get some air, Robbins." …_Air? I'm outside, how much more air do I need?_

Standing, I take a deep breath and walk back out of the small alley to wait for our back up. Pulling out my phone I see it's almost 9. …_I am so dead. Callie is going to kill me._ Teddy is prattling on and on in her radio as she walks up behind me. Though one guy took a shell, I think this raid went over pretty well. Got a hand full of bad guys, though we don't know how they fit in anywhere but that's the easy part. I'm too busy thinking about the good break I finally caught that I don't see the SUV across the street with darkened windows. I don't see the window crack.

"ROBBINS!" Teddy yells, pointing towards the vehicle. I turn just in time to see a glint of silver stick out of a window. I don't have time to raise my own weapon before a flash.

***BANG***

The next thing I feel is a bullet hit my chest and I fall to the ground.

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><p>AN2: Uh oh… is Robbins down? Was it a set up? Or just a shot of opportunity? Let me know. Thanks for all the awesome reviews. You guys rock!<p> 


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: This is AU. I do not own any of the characters from Grey's Anatomy. I just manipulate them to my will. Also, any line or phrase or setting that seems remotely familiar from any other show, movie or book, also not mine.

AN: So, I left you all hanging after a *BANG* and then nothing… Let's see if our favorite FBI Agent is still alive and kicking ass. Enjoy!

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><p>Chapter 13<p>

"Arizona, you should go to the hospital." Teddy warns me. I just sit back in the passenger's seat and focus on breathing. …_ow, fuck! It hurts. Focus Robbins. Breathe in, breathe out. _An hour ago I got flattened by a 38 special to the chest. Thankfully my Kevlar vest stopped the bullet, but that doesn't mean it still didn't hurt like a mother fucker.

"The EMT said you probably have some broken ribs. You should let me take you-"

"Enough, Teddy. Thank you for your concern but if you remember, I'm married to the best Orthopedic Surgeon this side of the Mississippi. So… just take me home, please." I groan. Its nearly midnight, I've been shot, and I've got a raging headache. All I want to do is crawl into bed, but I know that's not going to happen for a while.

Our back up arrived seconds after I was gunned down, and they gave chase to the fleeing vehicle while Teddy stayed back to make sure I was still alive. When I hit the ground, I thought I was dead. It sure as hell felt like I had been shot. It hurt as much as I remember being skewered when I was in Iraq. But… the blood never came, and neither did the darkness. Once Teddy got my vest undone, I was able to breathe again, and only a few minutes after the shot rang out, I was able to stand, painfully but I was on my feet. And of course, not wanting to make a big deal out of it, I brushed the EMTs and my partner off. If I went to the hospital, it would only cause a panic for my family. I didn't want to have to call Callie in the middle of the night, have her in a panic as she tried to get Sofia and Miguel up and dressed to head to the hospital in the middle of the night. That would do more harm than good. So… I told them I was fine. And I am fine. I'm just a little… sore.

When I slip into the dark, quiet house, I take a deep breath, or at least try to. "Damn it…" I growl as I clutch my chest. …_gotta stop doing that._ As usual, I do my nightly check of all the doors and windows, making sure they are all locked. Once I'm sure the house is locked down tight, I walk upstairs with my only firearm left, my primary taken as per protocol after a deadly shooting.

Before going to my own room, I peek into the cracked door of my daughter's room and see the tiny brunette sprawled out. Johnnie is clutched in her tiny arms, her mouth hanging open as tiny little snores come from my princess. I tip toe into the room and pull the thrown blanket back up around her and give her a kiss on the forehead.

"Sleep tight, baby girl." I whisper, then back out of the room, making sure to leave the door cracked open. Taking a short step across the hall, I enter my son's room. When I peek over the railing, I see my bright blue eyes staring back up at me.

"Hey little man." I purr, wincing as my chest protests my effort at picking him up. His hands grip onto my dirtied shirt as I start to rock him. "What are you doing up? Did you hear Mommy come in? …Is Momma mad that I missed bed time?" I ask, hoping my son will give me some sort of warning as to what kind of Callie I am about to lay down next to. He just coos, his toothless smile making my heart melt. Soon, with the lullaby coming from my lips, and my body providing the perfect bouncing and swaying, his lids start to flutter closed again. Another couple minutes of humming and walking to make sure he is really asleep, I put him back down and tuck him in. Careful to close the door silently, I tip toe down the rest of the hall and get to the master bedroom. After years of practice, I'm able to move around the squeaky floorboards and slip into the room unheard. Seeking the shelter of the bathroom, I pull off my sweaty and dirtied shirt and pants, exposing my now very bruised midsection. …_jesus. It was so close._ My hand comes up to trace over the colored skin and I flinch at just the lightest pressure. Because my body won't let my left arm come up behind me, I strip everything except my bra and pull on my pajamas.

"Arizona?" Callie mumbles in to her pillow when I gingerly lay down in our bed. It never ceases to amaze me that this woman can sleep through a tornado but, she feels the dip of the mattress when I come to bed late, she hears the slightest whimper from Miguel in the baby monitor, or the faintest cry from Sophia down the hall.

"Mmm." I moan out, trying to keep my cry of pain inside. My wife instinctively moves across the expanse of our bed and nestles up against me. When she lays her hand against my chest, I can't hold it in any longer.

"AH!" I hiss, making her snap back away from me.

"What?" She asks as she bolts up in the sitting position looking down on me, now awake. "What did I do? Ariz-"

"Nothing. Nothing I just…" I try to take a deep breath to center myself but it gets caught in my throat as a bolt of lightening shoots across my body.

Ever the observant doctor, Callie is now on full alert. "Arizona what happened?" I go to protest again when she lays a hand back over my chest, making me wince again. Her eyes dart to mine suspiciously as she slips her hand under my shirt and pulls it up, revealing a large bruise starting an inch below my left breast and extending almost to my navel.

"Jesus…" She breathes out. Flipping the bed side light on, she gets a better look. The bruise is blue and angry looking, and it's pretty horrifying. "Arizona, what happened?" She asks softer.

"I uhhh… I was shot at." I answer, knowing that the best course of action right now is honesty.

"You got shot?" She barks.

"Shot AT. Not shot. Shot at." I correct her. "And keep your voice down."

She gets up from the bed and goes to her dresser, pulling out her old stethoscope her grandmother gave her as a present when she got accepted into med school. "No, Arizona. You got shot. A bullet left a gun and HIT you. You got shot." She states firmly. Rounding the bed, she kneels infront of me, helps to pull me back up in the sitting position then takes the shirt off over my head. "Take a breath." She tells me as she positions the stethoscope against my chest.

"Calliope, I already got checked out." I say.

"Well, you're going to get checked out again. Take a breath." She replies. Rolling my eyes, I try to take a deep breath but wince as a sharp pain shoots across my chest. I keep breathing as Callie moves the listening device around my chest and to my back, not wanting to miss a thing. Content that my lungs are fine, the pulls the buds from her ears and runs her hands along my ribs.

"Mmm." I growl when she hits a sore spot.

"I need to see if you have any cracked ribs." She explains and I just nod, knowing this is her area of expertise and if anyone can give me a proper exam, it's my wife. I focus on my breathing as her hands roam over each individual rib, and going back over the ones that make me cringe.

"So what's the damage doc?" I ask as I breathe a sigh of relief when she's done.

"Two, maybe three cracked ribs." She states, her eyes looking straight into mine. "I thought you were done with this stuff, Arizona. You have a family."

"I know." I whisper. She grabs my hand and places it over her heart.

"Every time my pager goes off, I freeze. I can't help but think it's you that the next bus is bringing in. Every time I hear someone talk about a new GSW in the ER, my heart starts to pound and I can't breathe until I know its not you." I can see tears forming in her eyes.

"I know." I say again. We've had this discussion multiple times. She would never ask me to quite what I'm doing but when we had babies, I told her that I would be more careful. And I have been but... there's a certain amount of danger that just comes naturally with my job.

"If you… if something happens to you… I don't think I'd be able to live. I can't loose you, just as much as I can't lose Sofia and Miguel." Her lips start to quiver and I know she's trying to hold in her tears.

"Come here." I breathe out, then pull her up on the bed and lay her down next to me. When her body is nestled against mine, careful as to where she touches, I brush back her silky black locks. She loves it when I do that, just like our daughter does.

"I love you so much." She whispers, digging her face in deeper into the crook of my shoulder.

"I love you too, Calliope." I reply. "I'm not going anywhere, ok? You're stuck with me for along time. We are going to get through this, we are going to watch our kids grow up, we will send them off to become doctors or lawyers or princesses… whatever they want to be. And then it will be you and me. …I wouldn't miss that for the world. Ok?" She nods into my flesh as she pulls herself tighter against me. "I'm sorry I missed family night…" This gets a chuckle out of the Latina.

"Tim was no match for taking on Sofia by himself in Robbins Hide and Seek." She tells me, a smile replacing the frown that was just on her face. "Sofia said 'Mommy's a better Marine than you Tim.' …It was so cute. And Tim was like actually upset. He pouted the rest of the night."

Leaning down and place a kiss on the crown of her forehead, I whisper "It's those 5 minutes, I'm telling ya." She and I laugh quietly and bring our lips together, sharing a loving kiss. It's not long that Callie's soft snoring fills my ears. It's the sound I became addicted to all those years ago, and its one of my favorite sound tracks… besides the squeal of Miguel's baby laugh and Sofia's padding of feet as she flies to the door to greet me every night I come home.

The next morning, Sharice stops by having heard about my run in last night. Sofia has worked her magic on the usually hardened detective and now has the woman spun around her tiny little pinky. As Callie is moving around the kitchen, Sharice and I step into the next room to discuss some more sensitive matters when our house phone starts to ring.

After two rings, Sofia hops off her chair and reaches up to pick up the phone. Callie and I taught her how to work the phone as soon as she possibly could just incase she ever needs to dial 911. And she also knows that the big 2 goes straight to Uncle T's cell, and the big 8 goes to Teddy's cell phone. She hits the green button and brings the phone up to her ear.

"Hewwo?" She says. She nods a couple times, responding to something the person said, then lets out a squeal in laughter, catching the attention of her Momma.

"Three adults in this house and the four year old grabs the phone." Callie grumbles as she pulls the phone from our daughters hand. "Hello? …Who is this? …Yes. What?" Our eyes meet and I can see the terror flash through my wife's face. I bolt out of my chair, snapping at Spade to catch her attention. I rip the phone from Callie's hold as I motion for the detective to start a trace on the call.

"Who is this?" I bark.

"**You know who this is, Agent Robbins."** A man's voice sneers. I catch Spade's eyes and she nods as she holds her own cell up to her ear.

Moving out of earshot from my kids, I spit "You think this is a smart move, Max? Calling my house, with my family here?"

"**You messed with my family. And now you've really fucked up my business. …I'm not a happy man, Ms. Robbins."**

"It wasn't me that cast the first stone O'Connor. And you know that. My family is innocent unlike yours and if you-"

"**If I, what? If I decide to extract a little revenge… that would be too far? Isn't that what you did by arresting poor Ms. Nealy for her blood pressure pills?"** My eyes glance to Spade and she gives me the thumbs up, telling me they have a location and LEOs are on the way. I shake my head, telling her that this man will be long gone by the time uniforms hit the payphone he is no doubt using.

"You so much as look at them and I will put a bullet between your eyes." I spit back.

"**We'll see Ms. Robbins. …Let my boys go, and forget about me. …Or the blood of your family and any other innocent that gets harmed during this whole escapade is on your hands."** Then the line goes dead.

"We got a location." Spade says as soon as I drop the phone from my ear.

"He's already gone." I say with a sigh, my chest burning as I try to push my ribs to expand a bit more. I step back into the kitchen and see my wife sitting on a chair, white as a sheet. I crouch down in front of her and look up into her blank eyes. "Calliope… sweetie, look at me."

"That was him, wasn't it?" She asks. Her eyes look to our daughter happily drawing on a piece of paper, oblivious to the person she just talked to. "He's the one who-"

"No." I say firmly, forcing her to look back at me. "No. He is not going to get them. Ok? I won't allow it."

"He talked to her." She whispers, her lips trembling as she tries to hold back her crying. "He talked to our baby." I glance at Sharice over my shoulder and she nods, telling me that she can watch the kiddies real quick. Pulling my wife up out of the chair, I take her to the other room, away from the eyes of our children and she falls apart. My arms wrap around her as much as I can, my chest not liking the pressure around me. I hold her as her eyes let go of tears that she has fought since this entire thing started.

"I won't let anything happen to them, Calliope." I whisper in her ear as her body racks with sobs. Calming herself, Callie pulls back and cups my cheeks. Her salty lips find mine and we share a kiss. "No one will touch them. Or you. I protect the things I love, Calliope. And you… Sofia and Miguel… are my life. Nothing will happen to them." I promise her. Can I actually promise that? No. I know that, she knows that. But I can promise that I won't stop fighting for my family until my dying breath, and beyond if its possible.

After the usual morning madness of good bye's and see you tonight's, I drop Sofia off at kindergarten then head to Seattle PD to join the rest of my dysfunctional team. We split our time between the Bureau and the Precinct, but something about the Precinct makes me feel safer. I can't explain it, maybe its just the fact that I'm out from under the nose of the Director but… there is something. I've been staring at the murder board for almost an hour, just thinking. I know I should be doing something… somewhere… but I don't know what I'm missing.

"Ok. Let's go over it again. From the top." I say as I stand. Both Teddy and Sharice groan and collapse back into their chairs. I point to the photo at the very top of the cork board. "The boss, Max O'Connor. Girlfriend, Maura Walsh/Bryne. Has a daughter with Maura… Samantha O'Connor/Bryne/Walsh. Two sons, Frankie and Johnnie Nealy/O'Neal." I state all the players in the game so far.

"We arrested Frankie on… several charges." Teddy states the opening play of this messed up chess game we are entangled in right now.

"At the hospital, I find out Maura is a patient of my wife. I go undercover to try and get details about her and Max. Struck out." I continue the story.

"Then days later, two cops were tasered, stabbed, and then shot. …The killer, or killers… left a calling card with Arizona's name on it." Sharice takes over. "I arrest Arizona. But charges unfortunately don't stick…" She says with a playful punch to my arm. "We went to Patty, my mob informant. He says Johnnie killed the cops. …DNA comes back as a match. Johnnie was there. We charge Johnnie for murder."

"Right." I agree as I star daggers into the board, realizing nothing is jumping out at me. …_there has to be something. Some link. …Somewhere._ My eyes land on the pictures of the two deceased cops on the board, and next to them is a picture of myself, deemed another victim. I don't know if my hit was related to this case, but I don't really believe in coincidences.

"What about the raid last night?" I ask.

"That case has been assigned to the counterfeiting unit. So far… nothing's turned up. We just happened to stumble upon it. The Irish and the Russians had a deal and we just so happened to catch them in the act." Teddy explains. …_coincidence? I don't usually believe in coincidences. …Sean gave me the scoop. Maybe… no, she wouldn't do that, would she? She doesn't seem to have that in her. Would she set me up? …The Irish mob wouldn't have known that the Russian would run, let alone that I would chase and be at that exact spot at that exact time to get shot off on me._

"We searched the Nealy residence, right?" I ask my colleagues and they both nod. "We didn't find a gun?" They shake their heads no. "What caliber were the bullets from the cop case?"

"38 special." Spade answers, knowing her case inside out.

"I was shot with a 38." I say softly. I turn back to the two other women, a light starting to turn on in their minds. "Have we run the two sets of bullets against each other? The gun may not be in any system but… it could link the raid to murder of the two cops. And back to Frankie. …May even back up Johnnie's story about there being another person who actually killed the cops."

"I'll get Ballistics on it." Spade says as she pulls out her phone.

"Did the uniforms get anything at the payphone?" I ask, sitting gently in the empty desks seat as we stare that the large, and very blank, board in front of us.

"Nothing, just a quarter." Teddy answers, taking a seat on top of the desk.

"Yeah, that's Max alright." I sigh, really hating the fact that this man is getting a leg up on me and now all he is doing is rubbing it in. …_he can't honestly think that he can strong arm his way out of this. _My partner and I sit and just stare at the board like it may talk to us if we think hard enough.

"Bullet's a match." Spade says cheerfully, pulling me from my internal ramblings.

"That was fast." Teddy jumps off the desk.

"They were already checking it when I called. The three 38s are a match. So… whatever gun was used to shoot the cops was used to gun down Robbins." Sharice says as she puts up a string to connect a picture of me with the two cops, and placing a figure of a gun in between us, showing our link.

"So theoretically… whoever has that gun is the one who stabbed the cops." I say, drawing a conclusion. "This mystery woman tasered the cops to knock them out. Then stabbed them, they bleed out and died. Johnnie shot them… then… the woman took back the gun?"

"I'll buy it." Teddy says, and we both glance to Sharice. It's in her court now.

She thinks for a minute, then nods. "I'll get Johnnie transferred from county for questioning, and call his attorney." Then she's gone.

An hour later, Teddy and I are waiting in the observation room. My side is throbbing and I am aching for a cigarette but I continue to breathe, hoping my stress with calm down if I can calm down.

"Ready for another chat with your girlfriend?" Teddy breaks the silence.

"What are you talking about?" I ask, as my hand rests over my bruised chest. The ache has gotten fractionally better through out the day, but any movement makes the fire reignite.

She just chuckles and sighs. "Don't try to hide it from me, Arizona. I may not have your profile skills, but I don't need them to read the heat that is coming off you and Sean. …Better watch it. Callie-"

"That's enough Agent Altman." I spit. "There is nothing going on and I suggest you remember that before you decide to run your mouth and the wrong person just so happens to be listening." …_the last thing I need is Callie thinking I'm fucking around on her during this whole shit storm._

"Fine whatever boss." Teddy growls. The door to the observation room opens and in walks the woman who we were just talking about. Sean reads the obvious tension between my partner and I and smiles.

"Ladies… are my ears burning?" She asks in jest but gets a hard stare from Teddy and I just brush the question off. I can't catch myself before I look the woman up and down. She looks immaculate again. Somehow finding the perfect line of sexy and professional. "Ok… so, what's this little get together all about?" Sean asks, smirking as she catches me cruising her.

"You'll find out when the prisoner gets here." Teddy says. As if on cue, the door opens and a scared man in orange jumpsuits is placed in the room. Sean exits the observation room and joins her client in interrogation, whispering in his ear as he nods slightly up and down. I just stare at him, my mind racing. Ten… fifteen minutes, I let him cook. When Sharice enters, she sees me and my partner, obviously strained, and then glances into the room.

"If you want-" The detective starts but I cut her off.

"No." I state firmly. "He's mine." Leaving the two other women in silence, I emerge through one door and turn down the hall towards interrogation.

"Alright Johnnie, I'm tired of fucking around with you." I spit as soon as I walk into the room. "I need to know the name of that woman who killed the cops."

Taking a second to regain his composure, he stammers "I don't-"

"Don't fuck with me. I know you know something. Now tell me. Where is the gun? Who did you work with?" I lean over the table, looking down at the man cowering in front of me. He won't meet my eyes and it just pisses me off even more.

Quinn being lost as to why my sudden sharpness, asks "Agent Robbins, what are you-"

"Your father called my house this morning." I tell him. When he doesn't look up from the table, I bring down my right fist onto the metal surface loudly and he jumps a foot. "He talked to my DAUGHTER. He threatened MY family." Still nothing.

"That gun you used on those cops… last night it nearly took me out." I tell him. This was totally not my plan going into this interrogation but I'm going with it. I shrug off my jacket and pull my shirt bottom out of my pants and lift it up so both attorney and client can see the mass of purple, blue, green and yellows swirling across my torso.

"You see this Johnnie?" I yell. He just drops his gaze. My rage is boiling now and I yank the table away from the seated inmate and lawyer, pushing it against the back wall. "You see this?" I yell, stepping to within three feet of the man, making sure he gets a good look at the bruise. Both are struck in shock at my aggressiveness, neither knowing what to say or do.

"That gun that you used to shoot the two cops in the head… almost made a widow out of my wife. Almost left my two children without one of their mothers." I spit at him. "Is that what you want? Is it? …My family has done NOTHING to deserve this. They have done NOTHING wrong!"

"We're leaving." Sean states, color drained from her face.

"Where were you last night between 7:30 and 10?" I fire at the lawyer, our eyes locking.

"What are you implying, Ms. Robbins?" Sean says, rallying.

Stepping from in front of the prisoner, I stand in front of the seated woman and stare down at her. "Where were you?" I ask again.

"My client is leaving." Sean states as she pulls the shaken man off the seat. "And if you aren't charging ME with anything, so am I."

I turn my gaze back to the man in orange. "Who are you protecting, Johnnie? Your father isn't worth you going to jail for the rest of your life, is he? …Was he ever there for you, your brother, your mother? He left you when you were a baby. …How can you protect him now?"

"We're done here." Sean announces before the man can even take a breath. The next second, the two are out of sight.

After storming out of the interrogation room, I make my way down to the women's restroom and barge in, the metal door nearly cracking the title behind it as it hits the wall. My blood is on fire and all I can see is red. …_I'll kill him. I so much as see that fucker and I will kill him with my own hands. He calls MY family. Has the nerve to talk to Sofia. Make Sofia laugh? FUCK HIM!_ I don't know what I'm doing, pacing back and forth in the small restroom. Thankfully no one is in here or else I'm sure I'd be reported and sent for psych evaluations. …_which I would probably fail right now._ Digging into my pockets, I pull out my pack of cigarettes and my lighter. At the end wall, I crack the window and light up. The burn of nicotine ignites my lungs and somehow, my stress starts to fade. The burn within my lungs matches the burn of my ribs outside my lungs but it's not enough to clear my mind.

"It's illegal to smoke in a federal building." A voice calls out behind me. I let out a laugh that I don't even recognize as mine as I turn and face the defense attorney at the door to the bathroom.

"You going to charge me?" I ask, taking as deep an inhale as I can and exhale over my shoulder so the smoke goes out the crack in the window.

"I defend… I don't prosecute." She says smartly, a clump of hair falling from her made do and crossing her face. …_it's not right that someone can look that good._

"Ahhh… so when I'm charged, you'd try to get me off." I state, neither of us missing the subtle innuendo in my words. Her face reacts in a way that tells me she's aroused, but I keep my mask pulled down, revealing nothing.

"Oh… I'd definitely get you off." She purrs. Sean sets her briefcase down on the restroom sink and starts to stalk towards me. My eyes scan up and down her body, not even trying to hide it. I can see the smile crossing her face as she catches me checking her out. …_what am I doing?_ I know its wrong, but… there's something about her. Something I haven't felt since I first met Callie. Well, not first met Callie. When I first met my wife, she was a royal pain in the ass. But after we got to know each other… it was like kismet. And with Sean… kismet 2.0.

When she is a foot away from me, her fingers come up to her blouse and pop open a single button, revealing the white lacy bra that lies beneath.

"You like?" She asks.

"Did you know?" I ask, brushing off her question as my eyes maintain contact with hers, not glancing down.

"Know what?" She breathes out, her tongue tracing her lips.

I take a shaky breath and say "Did you know I was a target last night?"

Sean lets out a throaty laugh and tosses her head back. "Oh Arizona… you really think I would have given you that information if I thought you were going to get hurt? How can we have fun if you're dead?" She purrs. "I'm so very happy you're ok…"

Her hand finds the hem of my own shirt, her fingers brushing the flesh of my stomach as she pulls up the fabric, revealing the colored skin below. The warmth of her hand nearly sears my skin, and my mind races when she touches my wound. Closing the foot distance between us, she brings our bodies nearly flush with each others. I can feel her breath across my face as her eyes drop to my lips them back up to catch my gaze. She leans in, our lips becoming closer and closer together, but still our eyes remain locked. When she is a mere inch away from closing the deal, her green eyes flutter shut and her lips part ever so slightly, inviting me in. Half an inch away, and still, I do nothing.

When she a mere centimeter away from me, I tell her "Stop." And she halts. Her eyes snap open, but doesn't move away.

"You don't mean it." She whispers, but when I don't answer, she pulls back to give us some breathing room. "Arizona… you know you want me." She purrs as she undoes another button of her blouse. I pry my eyes away from the woman as I take one last inhale from my cigarette then toss it out the window. When I turn back, green eyes are all I see.

"It's ok…" She whispers. "No one needs to know." Her hands move to my pants and that's when she goes too far. My hands are wrapped around her wrists immediately and I spin us so she's the one against the wall. "Alright… you can be top." Sean says with a triumphant smile, leaning in to find my lips.

Avoiding her kiss, I tell her "Its not happening, Sean. …You may be hot. You may be a good lay-"

"Excellent. I am an excellent lay." She corrects me.

"But you're nothing compared to my wife." I state, then release her wrists. I take a step back and try to smooth out my ruffled outfit. "And she works with scalpels for a living… so I suggest you lay off me." I warn her. The buzzing of my phone cuts her rebuttal off.

"Robbins." I answer, not dropping my gaze from those green eyes that seem to suck me in.

"**Hey, me. Where did you go after you rushed out?" **Teddy asks.

"I needed some air." I state, which gets a chuckle out of the attorney a few feet away from me.

Teddy hears and asks **"Who's that?"**

"What's up Teddy?" I shoot back, moving away from the woman and back towards the mirror to straighten my appearance.

"**We may have something."** She tells me.

"Ok. I'm on my way back up." I reply then hang up. I focus on tucking my shirt back into my pants when Sean comes up from behind me. Our eyes lock in the mirror and her smirk still adorned to her perfectly made up face. "So… you left her?" I ask, trying to regain some power in this whole thing. She narrows her eyes, not understanding.

"You took your ring off. You decided that you couldn't move in with her huh?" I say, turning back around as I shrug my jacket back on, grimacing as my leg arm fights my movement as my cracked ribs are pulled. After a brief look of loss and guilt, the attorney pulls her game face back on and takes a step forward. She fixes my collar and soothes the fabric at my shoulders, then looks me in the eye.

"She didn't make me loose sleep at night." She says simply. "Only a blonde haired, blue eye bombshell that wears a gun can do that." With a wink, the lawyer turns and leaves the restroom. After a ten minute affair, I'm finally able to take a breath. …_Robbins, you are playing with fire. _Shaking myself of the thoughts blazing through my mind, I exit the restroom and meet up with my partner. Hopefully we just caught a break somewhere.

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><p>AN2: Hmmm…. A lot going on in this chapter. Tell me what you think? Sean? Johnnie? Callie? What are they up to? Is Arizona pushing it with Sean, or do you think she has everything under control?<p> 


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: This is AU. I do not own any of the characters from Grey's Anatomy. I just manipulate them to my will. Also, any line or phrase or setting that seems remotely familiar from any other show, movie or book, also not mine.

AN: Ok so… this is a repost. I was a little hopped up on cold medicine yesterday that I posted the WRONG draft of this chapter. Wasn't until I woke up this morning, and read yalls comment that I realized that. So… here is the RIGHT chapter 14. Sorry for the mix up, really. My bad. But it's the first repost I've had to do so… please give me a little leeway. Hope this version makes a lot more sense than the last. Again, sorry.

AN2: Ohhh… people are getting testy. I like it. A lot of you think Arizona (or myself) has gone too far. And remember, this is only first person, one sided. Callie's character is a total mystery beside what Arizona reads off of her. Does Agent Robbins have everything under control? Or is Sean the one in the driver's seat? Hmmm… let's see. Enjoy!

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><p>Chapter 14<p>

Screaming. That's all I hear. Screaming. Not adults screaming, kids. Babies… my babies. …_Sofia? !_ Where are you? Help mommy! Help! …_Where are you Sofia? I'm here!_ Running, running through the darkness but towards my daughter. How did she get here? How could I let this happen? I run. Hit a wall then trip into the desert. Sand falls through my hands. …_Where am I?_ Smell of burning rubber and burning flesh hits my nose. _…Iraq_. Screaming, my Sofia screaming. Fuck! …_I'm coming baby girl!_ Run. Run. Run. The rifle in my hands feels heavy, but I run. I make it to the village, the same village I got my scar in. Clear one house, then another. Where are you? MOMMY! …_I'm coming!_ Turn a corner. Bad guys. My finger pulls the trigger, and the bodies drop. Run. Run. Run. Arizona! …_Calliope?_ Mommy! …_SOFIA? ! _Laughing, a sinister laugh fills my world. Another corner. She's there. …_Let her go!_ No, Agent Robbins. I won't let her go. Sofia bleeding, crying. Sofia in pain. A figure, black and smoky. Slowly becomes defined. Another sinister laugh. _…let her go and I might let you live._ Another laugh. Oh, Agent Robbins. No one will walk out of this alive. A face appears. …_Quinn. _MOMMY! Help me! …_Sofia!_

"Arizona…" A faint voice calls, almost from another world. I feel myself being sucked out of this land. Up and out. …_no I need to save her. NO! NO! _"Arizona! …Arizona." My world shaking around me.

"NO!" I yell as my eyes snap open, my left hand reaching out to grasp whoever is on top of me as my right fishes for my sidearm that's not there. _…where am I? Wh-who are you?_

"Shhh… it's me. It's me." Callie says softly as my hand grips the front of her shirt. "Arizona, baby, it's me. It's ok. You're ok… Try to breathe." She tells me. My heart is racing and my skin is slick in a cold sweat.

"Fuck…" I breathe out. When I notice my hand still gripped at her shirt, I let go. "Sorry. Jesus… I'm so sorry." I rest my elbows on my knees and hang my head in my hands, trying to hide myself from my wife. The person I told I would never lay a hand on her like that is the one person who always seems to take the punishment for my dreams.

"Arizona." Callie whispers as she kneels in front of me, seeking my eyes but doesn't find them. She grabs both of my wrists and pulls my arms away. "Look at me." My blue eyes find concerned brown ones inches from me. "You're ok, sweetie. I'm ok. You didn't hurt me. …I know better than to wake you like that but… you were yelling and crying. I didn't want you waking the kids." My wife explains. Since we've been together, my night terrors and flash backs rarely make an appearance, but when they do, they are bad. And there's always a trigger, usually it being a particularly ugly case I'm working on. This time, it was his words. …_the blood of my family is on my hands._ Callie takes a seat next to me on the couch and rubs my back as she whispers in my ear, telling me I'm safe, she's safe, our kids are safe right now. She brings me back, away from the sand, and the gun fire, the smell of rotting flesh and the sound of people screaming for their life.

"Want to talk about it?" Callie asks after a good five minutes of me trying to get my heart rate and breathing under control.

"No." I say flatly. No, I don't want to tell my wife about the dream of our daughter bleeding and crying. About me not able to protect her. About our son being used as bait. I can't tell her about that… I'm the good man in the storm. …_but this is one hell of a storm._

"Are you ever going to talk to me?" The Latina asks after a few silent seconds.

"What are you talking about? …We talk." I reply, bringing my hands up to try and rub out the stress migraine brewing behind my eyes.

"You're smoking again, Arizona. I know that means you're… in trouble." She states. In the past few years, there have been only a few cases, usually the same ones that have me screaming in my dreams, that make me smoke.

"I'll stop." I say, hoping she'll take that as a good enough answer.

"Arizona…" She growls. "You know it's not the smoking that has me worried. It's why you're smoking. What is going on with you?"

My eyes find Callie's in the dimly lit living room. _…it'd be so easy to lie to her right now. Tell her nothing. Tell her I have everything under control. …But that's not marriage._

"I'm lost." I say so softly I'm not even sure I really say it. "I don't know what to do. …And I'm not use to feeling like this, Calliope. I'm supposed to know what to do. I'm a Marine. I'm a highly trained, lethal, top of the line FBI agent. …And I'm lost." Callie sits there for a couple minutes, letting me rant. Her hand rubs soothing circles on my back as I continue to flip through files and pictures and statements. Every single piece of evidence I have, I know backwards and forwards, but I can't help but go back to it because I have nothing to go forward with.

"You have a team, Arizona. Why can't they help you?" She asks.

"I don't trust them." I say flatly. "I… I don't trust anyone but Teddy, really. Not after what happened with you."

"You don't think-"

"No. No, I don't think that I have a leak, or a mole or a traitor working for me but… there's always that thought floating in the back of my mind. You know? …I look out into the bull pen every day, my teams busy hunting down Max, or any other fugitive and I can't help but think…" My voice fades out, not wanting to speak the words I've been holding in for so long. Am I paranoid? No. I've just learned from the past.

"So you still have Teddy. She'd do anything for you, just like you'd do anything for her. I have complete trust in you, sweetie. You'll figure this out." Callie whispers. I close my eyes when I feel Callie place a kiss on that spot behind my ear, then on my jaw line, moving closer and closer to my lips. I turn my head and meet them, pulling her in by the back of her neck…_.God, I love you so much, it hurts sometimes._ When our lips part, our foreheads rest against each others. _…such a fucking idiot for even entertaining thoughts about… her. _

"I love you." She whispers after our long kiss.

"I love you too, so much. Never forget that. …No matter what happens, ok?" I tell her, mentally slapping myself upside the head for what I did today in the restroom with Sean. "You're the only one, forever." Our eyes meet. _…guilt? Why would she feel guilty? I'm the one who should feel guilty, and I do._

"Callie, are you ok?" I ask, not able to keep from reading my wife. I try not to profile, mainly because its not fair and she hates it but right now, I can't help it.

"I'm fine. …Just alittle lost too." She says, then leans in and places a light kiss on my lips. "Don't stay down here to long, alright? You know what this couch does to your back." She adds, after one last kiss, then stands and walks back upstairs. Turning back to the files spread all over the coffee table in front of me, I bury my head in my hands. A deep breath and I look back at the information that I already know inside and out. My eyes land on one specific photo that of a certain defense attorney. I can't explain it, but there is just a draw to this woman. I know the difference between love and lust, and this is definitely lust…._or hate. I don't know anymore. My head is a fricken mess right now_. I pick the picture up and study it closely, not that her face isn't already burned into my mind. But…_there's something. She's involved. Whether she realizes it or not. I just hope I can get it out of her before anyone else gets hurt. Namely, my family._

The next morning always comes too soon. Lack of sleep and a kink in my back from falling asleep on the couch again makes me for a not so patient woman. "Talk." Teddy spits, slamming down the coffee she usually brings me in the morning.

"About?" I growl, my feet propped up on my desk as I try to rub out the headache raging through my head right now. Last night was… rough. Not a lot of sleep, and when I did, not so nice images greeted me. And I never did make it upstairs, having fallen asleep again as I read over the case file…_again_. My wakeup call was from the tiny finger of my daughter poking at my cheek. Teddy closes my office door as I blindly reach out for the source of caffeine that I hope will stem the pain behind my eyes. She crosses the space and shoves my feet off the top of my desk, catapulting myself straight up and coffee spilling down my front.

"Fucking hell Altman!" I yell, trying to pull the burning liquid off my body. I can almost feel my skin sizzle as the piping hot coffee runs down my already wounded torso.

"What the fuck is going on in that head of yours?" She yells back.

"Right now it's all about throwing you out on your ass." I spit at my partner as I shrug off my dark jacket and start unbuttoning my white shirt, now stained a lovely shade of brown.

"If you fuck around and do something dumb… if you tear your family apart over that woman, I will kill you myself. You have kids, Arizona. Two beautiful little babies who love and adore you. …You have Callie! How could you want anyone else when you have Callie? …I'm not gay, but… Callie is-"

"Perfect. I know. You really think I would do something to hurt her? She's my wife. I know exactly what she is." Our eyes remained locked on each other. I stand in my office, half undressed, my newly reinstated sidearm clipped to my pants, my scar in plain sight, now covered with pretty purples and greens.

"Then what are you doing?" She asks softly.

"How did she know about the counterfeiting? How did Johnnie get an attorney who has that knowledge? …Does that not seem funny to you?" I ask.

"You think Sean Quinn is involved." Teddy states.

"Yes." I answer.

"And… you're trying to get closer to her." Teddy closes her eyes and starts to pace, the image forming in her mind about where this woman could possibly fit in to the whole situation.

"Yeah… and it's not like we could just strong arm her and bring her in for questioning. …She fights people like you and me for a living, Teddy. So I need to go through a back door. …If she wants to talk to me… to tell me more, why should I stop her?" I tell her. She gives me a questioning look, like she's not believing me. "Look… I'm not going to lie. Was there a little spark when we met? Yes. But that's all it is. A spark. I have a whole fucking wildfire in my bed at home. I'm playing a part now, and I have to do it well if we have any chance of getting into that woman's brain."

"What about into her bed?" Teddy asks, getting a hard glare out of me. "Where's the line Arizona?"

"I got it under control. …Sean Quinn made an appearance in a dream last night. And let's just say, I had a rifle in my hands and it was pointed directly between her eyes." I tell her as I pull on my spare shirt I keep in my office. My phone buzzing snaps the tense silence in the room. I check the text message and curse silently. "Director wants to see us." I tell my partner. She opens my office door and waits. As I walk past her I ask "We good?"

"Yeah. We're good." Teddy answers.

"Good." I say with a smile. "Oh… and you owe me a new shirt."

Hours later, Teddy and I are at the firing range, getting ready for our qualification tests. Apparently being in the middle of a man hunt doesn't matter. Once your name pops up, you're due at the range. And when you don't show up, you get a right chewing from the Director. So now, my partner and I are waiting our turn, both of our asses a little chapped, metaphorically of course. …_I swear he gets up in the morning just be a royal pain in my side. _

"Agent Robbins!" The range instructor calls.

I step forward and take my place at the counter. "It's Special Agent." I correct him. …_why does no one get that?_

"When you're ready." He says dryly, pulling his ear protection back on. I position my weapon in front of me, extra magazine at the ready. I hate these tests because all they do is check your accuracy and not even under real world situations. Rarely do I shoot at a suspect straight on like this. It's always at a run or from behind cover. A breath, and then I act. Before anyone can blink, I grab my weapon and unload the magazine into the paper target's chest. Seamlessly, I drop the empty magazine and slip the full one in place, resuming my fire immediately. Counting the rounds, I send the last one right between the eyes for added flare.

Once the paper target is retrieved and handed to the range instructor, he marks something on his important little clipboard. "Did I pass or what?" I ask sarcastically. He just sneers and motions for my partner to step up.

"Wanna grab some lunch?" Teddy asks as we both step out of the firing range, qualified to carry our firearms for another year.

"Rain check." I say offhandedly, grabbing my keys and slipping into my cruiser.

"Got a lunch date with your girlfriend?" Teddy asks and just gets a middle finger for an answer.

Once at the hospital, I go straight to my wife's office but find it locked. We didn't really get to talk anymore this morning, what with the usual morning madness with a crabby four year old and a crying seven month old. I know she's keeping something from me, I read it in her eyes. Not that I'm one to be much of a moral compass right now. Maybe if we just have a relaxing lunch, away from the kids and the noise and the bloody pictures that were strewn around the living room last night.

When I head down the main drag of the Ortho ward, I hear that rich laugh that is music to my ears. Turning the corner, I see my wife, head thrown back as she laughs with a nurse. I stop my advance, taking in the scene. Something seems off, and my spidey senses are tingling. I don't know if it's the way the nurse is looking at my wife, the way they are standing a little closer than is normal, or the hand Callie has on the nurses arm but… something isn't sitting right. I don't mean to snoop like this, but I need to know more about this situation. I watch as the two animatedly talk back and forth effortlessly. I've never seen this woman before, but Callie seems to be homey with her. …_but she looks familiar. I'm sure I've never seen her around here before though._ When the nurse points to something on Callie's white jacket, nearly caressing her breast and the Latina responds by blushing and giggling, my feet start moving again.

I approach from the side, and the nurse is the first one to see me coming. When Callie loses the woman's attention, she also glances over and see's me.

"Can we help you?" The woman asks sharply. …_bring it bitch._

"Arizona!" Callie greets, overacting just a bit. "Wh-what… why… um… Hi." She says, wrapping me in an awkward hug, then turns back to the nurse who is watching everything.

"You alright, Calliope?" I ask, my face not betraying the fact that I just watched them flirt back and forth for a good five minutes.

"What? Yeah. I'm fine." She replies, again over reacting. My eyes watch the unknown woman, and I can see something swirling in her mind. …_but what? Confusion? _"Oh! Uhh… Sam, this is my uhh my-"

"Wife, Arizona Robbins." I finish for Callie, extending my hand and shaking Sam's hand.

"Sam." She replies. My eyes narrow fractionally as my mind starts to race. …_I know her from somewhere. I'm sure of it. _I try to find her ID badge so I can catch a last name but I don't see it.

"I'm sorry but… have we met before?" I ask, pulling back my hand.

"Sam was just hired a couple weeks ago." Callie explains. "Unless you met-"

"No, we haven't. I would have remembered. I'm good with faces." Sam butts in, cutting Callie off. Our gaze locks for longer than the social norm, almost as if we are battling to see who will break first.

Callie, sensing the exchange, clears her throat. "So… Arizona?" The sound of my name coming from the Latina makes me drop the battle and look to my wife.

"I… was wondering if you have had lunch yet?" I ask the fidgeting woman next to me. "Maybe we could go grab some mystery meat from the cafeteria?"

"Sounds great." She says, again a little too loudly. She turns back to the nurse who has a smug smile on her face. "Umm… get that medicine to Ms. Meyers and I'll check on her when I get back." Sam smiles, gives a tight nod and then turns on her heel.

Once we pay for our meal, Callie and I bring our food back up to her office. We sit on her couch as we eat, and I listen as she chatters away. Something seems… off. I try not to profile my wife but sometimes, things are just so in your face that you can't ignore them.

"Calliope…" I say coolly, cutting her off as she starts in on another surgical procedure. She tenses a bit, but forces herself to relax. "Are you alright?" I ask, moving in closer to her.

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be alright?" She asks, then does that fake laugh like 'you're the one who's crazy'.

"You're rambling and… and you're tense." I tell her. "Not to mention that you had a serious flirting session with that nurse minutes before I came to see you." I add nonchalantly, like its no big deal even though my insides are twisting at the thought of it.

"Excuse me?" She asks, feigning hurt.

"Calliope… you forget what I do for a living. I read people. …You were flirting." I state, forcing myself to take another bite of my sandwich.

"We were not-" She tries to deny it but I cut her off.

"Callie." My eyes tell her that I'm not about to buy what she's selling.

Her eyes flick to mine, then away as she hides her face in her hands. "Ok, maybe she was flirting with me." Callie groans.

"When did it start?" I ask, really focusing on keeping my anger hidden.

She thinks for a couple seconds, then answers "A couple days ago. …It's doesn't mean anything. I swear, Arizona. Nothing has happened between her and I. I… I'm just-"

"Stressed. I know." I cut her off, trying to keep my temper under control. Any other time, I would be all over that nurse, but now… I can't really call her a kettle…_because I'm a pot._

"This is all my fault." I say to myself. "All my fucking fault." I growl, rubbing my face with my hands.

My wife places a hand on my shoulder. "Arizona-"

"No, Calliope." I bolt off the couch, then turn and look down at her. "This is my fault. My fault that my kids are targets. My fault that I got shot. My fault that I've denied proper flirting at home, which makes you flirt with your nurses. I just… I'm fucking everything up. My mind is… is a mess. I can't think straight. I just... I just…" Callie is up off the couch and wrapping her strong arms around me. Without even realizing it, my hands grip her white lab coat like I'm hanging on for dear life.

"Shhh…. Relax, Arizona. Relax." She soothes me. My face is buried in the crook of her neck. Her scent invades deep into my body, every inhale calms me more and more. Before I know it, my hands find her silky black hair, and I'm pulling her lips in to mine. Our kiss is soft at first, reaffirming our love and commitment to each other, and it steadily grows more passionate. The Latina pushes me back to her desk, her hands trailing down to my thighs to lift me up onto the maple surface.

Once I'm seated on her desk, her desk of authority, my wife's body presses against me between my spread legs. My hands find her coat and I yank it off her as her hands work at my top.

"Ah!" I gasp when she gets a little too rough for my beat up body.

"Sorry. Sorry." She growls, her lips finding mine again. Once my jacket is off, she starts working at the buttons on my white shirt. Again, I wince and pull back from her touch. This gets her attention, afraid that my ribs might have gotten worse somehow.

"Are you ok?" She asks softly, now focused on getting my shirt off for an entirely different reason. Once the front parts, her eyes are met by an angry red burn covering the top part of my chest. …_damn, that's worse than I thought. _Callie is just pulling my shirt completely off, revealing burn, bruise and scar, when there is a quick knock on the door, followed by Sam sticking her head in.

"Dr. Torres-" She stops when she sees our current position. My disheveled wife, hair and scrub top askew from our frenzied kiss, and me shirtless in only my bra, sitting on Callie's desk. "Oh god, uhhh sorry…"

"Sam, can you get me some silver sulfadiazine ointment." Callie says, not even blushing at our predicament.

"Of... of course, Dr. Torres." She stammers, her eyes darting between myself and Callie.

"Silver what?" I ask as the door clicks shut behind the flustered nurse.

"It's a burn ointment." Callie explains as she examines my most recent injury. "How did this happen?"

"Teddy… coffee… OW!" I jump when she pokes a particularly tender spot.

"Sorry." She grumbles. The door opens a minute later, Sam hurrying in with a tube of ointment in her hand. "Thanks." Callie says off handedly. Sam, for some reason, hangs back in Callie's office while my wife spreads the soothing and healing crème over my skin. I watch Sam as Sam watches Callie. …_lust. That is definitely lust. Dilated pupils. Increased breathing. …She wants Callie. _

"Arizona?" Callie asks, sensing the sudden rigidity and tension in my body. "It doesn't hurt, does it? It's should be soothing." She explains.

"No. No, it's fine." I reply. The buzzing of my phone snaps my attention back from the creepy nurse who is eyeing my wife like she's the next thing for dinner.

"Robbins." I answer.

"**Hey, me. One of the Russians cracked. We got a lead on Max."** My partner says quickly, and I can sense Teddy's enthusiasm.

"O'Connor? We got him?" I ask, catching the eye of my wife. She visibly tenses.

"**The Director is putting together three teams. Surveillance sets up now. You want in?"**

"Hell yes. I'm on my way now." I say, then hang up.

"What's going on?" Callie asks, obviously startled by the name of the man who has threatened our family.

"We got him." I whisper. "Just like I promised. He's going down." I place a kiss on her lips then pull my shirt back on, carefully buttoning it over the ointment that is covering my chest right now. My eyes find that of Sam's and again I am met with a look that confuses me. …_resentment. Why does she resent me? She's angry… something ain't feeling right with this woman. _I've spent maybe a total of five minutes with this nurse and I'm already getting vibes off her, a lot like the vibes I got off of Sean the first time I met her.

"Be careful, please." Callie begs me, pulling my eyes away from Sam's.

"I'll see you when I see you, Calliope. I love you." I tell her, then give her one more kiss. A glance at the nurse who is trying to pretend like she's not listening, and I add "You be careful too. Call Tim and ask that he pick Sofia up tonight. …And no more flirting with pretty nurses." I laugh as she rolls her eyes at me, then I am out of the office. My feet can't keep from carrying me faster than a walk towards my car, my heart racing at the idea that Max O'Connor will finally behind bars, and my family will be safe.

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><p>AN3: Is this going to be the end of the Robbins-O'Connor fight, or are they just facing off?<p> 


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: This is AU. I do not own any of the characters from Grey's Anatomy. I just manipulate them to my will. Also, any line or phrase or setting that seems remotely familiar from any other show, movie or book, also not mine.

AN: Alright, next installment of BB2 is up! Now… I know there was a lot of talk about the last chapter. Some liked it, some didn't. Sorry… maybe this chapter will get your interests peaked again. Last we knew, Arizona was running off to capture the big, bad, Max O'Connor. Will it be a clean sting, or will it go down in a flaming ball of crap? Let's find out. Enjoy!

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><p>Chapter 15<p>

"Alright, what we got?" I ask as I strap my Kevlar vest over my slight body. The strain of the tightness against my bruised and cracked ribs makes my breath catch for a second, but I push it down. My nerves are wound tight, just like before any raid or bust, but this time it seems about a million times more.

"Who are you?" The guy I'm guessing in charge asks me, looking up from the map and blueprints laid out on the table in front of him.

"Supervisory Special Agent Arizona Robbins." I state, flashing my badge. "And Special Agent Teddy Altman." I add as my partner steps up next to me. "So… what do we have?" I ask again, stepping up to look over the guys shoulder. He doesn't like this, so he straightens himself to his full height and holds out a hand to stop me in my place.

"I'm sorry, but we have all the guys we need. …People, I mean." He sneers. "You two ladies can watch." He catches the eyes of a couple other guys gathered around the table and makes a face. They all laugh and then continue on with their discussion. …_you're fucking with the wrong 'lady'._ Catching Teddy's eye, I can literally hear all the nasty things rolling through her brain.

"Excuse me." I spit, puffing out my chest as I prepare for a battle. The man turns and looks down his nose at me. "Who are you?" I ask.

"Supervisory Special Agent Aaron West." He says, flashing his badge. "I'm the lead on this bust, and I say this party is full."

"Listen up West, Max O'Connor is mine. Do you hear me? I've been chasing him for over two years." I tell him, my eyes looking up into his, telling him I'm not about to back down just because I'm not a member of the dick club.

"And now I will get him, because of MY investigation into the counterfeiting bust." He replies with a cocky grin.

"A bust that I took lead on. That was MY bust. Max O'Connor is MINE." I fire back, taking a small step forward, invading Aaron's personal space.

"Robbins…" He almost whispers, like he is trying to place the name. "…right, Robbins. Now I know where I heard that name." He sneers. "Agent Robbins. …For once, the rumors were right. You are ballsy. …But still, I got a full man team. Don't need no dykes today, but thanks anyways." He says like its nothing, patting me on the shoulder and then turning back to the swat team leaders.

"Alright, we are going to do a soft entry from the east and-"

"Wrong." Teddy states. All the guys look up and turn to us. "You'll want to go in from the north." She says simply, both of our gazes leveled at the men planning the raid.

"Oh really? And why's that?" One of the swat leaders asks, looking up at us, then back to the maps in front of them

"Because." I explain.

"Because? …That it, Robbins? That's all you got? Well… thanks for that." West sneers. "Now, if you and your fellow female agent would leave, I would appreciate it. …I might even let you talk to Max once I get the bracelets on him. …Be good girls now and run along." He says condescendingly.

I'm just about to fire back a very unprofessional comment when another swat guy joins the party. "Agent West, we're down a sniper." The man says. "His wife just went in to labor."

"Damn it…" Aaron growls.

"Well would you look at that. One sniper down, and I just happen to be qualified. My partner and I will step up." I state before anyone else can say anything. "No worries, West. I'll watch your six even though you are the world's biggest sexist pig." I sneer, grabbing the rifle case from the swat member.

"Can you-" One of the leaders starts to question me.

"I can hit the flea off the ass end of a snake a hundred yards out." I spit back before he gets the whole question out. With that, Teddy and I turn on our heel and take position at the roof of one of the surrounding buildings. We mic up, and then take our place, Teddy my spotter while I'm on rifle. We listen as the plan is talked through one more time, the three swat teams getting ready to strike. Teddy and I are placed atop a building about 40 yards away, a clear line of sight to the entrance and west face of the building. In comparison to the raids I've put on, this is one of the largest I've been a part of. What makes it even more, this is was fast planned and being quickly implemented, afraid that Max will catch wind of this somehow then turn tail and run. As Teddy and I are waiting for the go signal, my phone rings. …_unknown number?_

"Robbins." I answer, putting the phone on speaker so I don't have to hold it to my ear.

"**Arizona… you need to work on your phone etiquette." **A silky smooth voice drawls from the other end.

Catching the eye of my partner, I reply **"Well, in my line of work I don't always have time to greet someone nicely, Sean. …How did you get this number?"** I ask, watching the swat team's move into the building through my scope, along with instructions being barked through my ear piece.

"**I was wondering if you are busy right now?" **She asks, avoiding my question.

"Just a little." I reply evenly, focusing on keeping my breathing steady and my pulse low. Shouting comes from within the building we are watching, and I can feel that this raid isn't as quick and simple as what West had said it would be. …_not that I'm surprised. Counterfeiting guys suck at stings._

"**You have any plans tonight?" **

"Yes… going home to my wife and kids." I reply with a sharp tone. "What do you want Sean?"

"**I want to talk, face to face." **She says, the sound of gunfire, reaching the phone. **"What's going on, Arizona? Are you ok?" **She asks with real concern in her voice. I hang up, my attention turning fully to the scene unfolding in my scope. Swat members are backing out of the building, their rifles raised. Occasionally sending a few rounds towards whoever is firing back, but still, they are retreating quickly.

"What's the count?" I ask my partner.

"Down one." She says, telling me one less of us came out of the building than went in. And now, this sting has turned into a possible hostage situation. Then my fear is confirmed as I see two figures walk out of the front. It's Max, using West as a human shield, a gun trained to the pig's head.

"**Anyone got a clean shot?"** Someone asks over the radio's. Two 'negatives' are quickly said as the two other sniper positions call out their lack of shot.

"Shooter Charlie has a clean shot." I speak into my mic.

"**What's your position?"**

"Roof of building, west of target." I answer. "Shot is clean." I state, seeing a clean shot to Max's head. …_he deserves to rot in prison, not get the easy way out by a quick death._ Then shouting comes from down below, and a whirl of activity. More shooting, and then Max moves, West in tow.

"Damn it." I growl, loosing my shot. I watch as Max moves around the side of the building, hiding behind wooden fences and trees. "Let's go." I state, and hop up on my feet, Teddy on my six. We run across the close knit roofs, hoping between buildings, trying to find a clear shot. Finding another spot on a roof almost a block down, I get flat on my stomach and try to calm my breathing. Teddy sets up next to me, pulling out her binoculars to be my spotter.

When I look through my scope, I still don't have a clean shot. Max has his back to me, but I can't take it because the bullet could go through his body and into West's who is still in the man's grips. I watch as swat circles the man, but Max doesn't back down. …_he can't die. I need to get this over with._

"West, this is Robbins. If you can hear me, tap your right foot twice." I say into the mic, hoping that in his struggle with O'Connor his ear piece wasn't lost. Looking through my scope, I see two tentative taps of his right foot.

"Ok good. I don't have a clear shot of Max, not without chancing a through and through. But I have a clean shot at his gun. Now… on my count, you need to duck as hard as you can. Unless you want to chance a ricochet to the head. Tap if you understand." I see him tap twice again.

"Arizona…" Teddy warns me, second guessing my shot.

"I got this Teds." I reassure her. "Distance?" I ask.

"64 meters." She states, reading the displays in her binoculars. "Temperature, 13 Celsius."

"Wind?" I ask, gauging my shot quickly.

"5 miles. …North by northwest." My partner answers, checking the flag flying from the top of one of the surrounding buildings.

"Alright West. On the three, you hit the ground like it's your mud bath you sexist prick." I spit. "One… two… THREE." He drops to the ground a split second before I pull the trigger. The large round flies from the tip of my rifle and through my scope I see the gun dropped from O'Connor's hand. Another second later, swat has him surrounded and pressed to the ground.

Once back on solid ground, and the teams have rounded up, Max situated nicely in the back of a squad car and properly covered, I approach the big man in charge with a pep in my step.

"Looking a little shook up there, West." I state with a cocky grin.

A pale face, and a very bruised neck, turns and meets my eyes. "Yeah well… had a close call. Some blonde Agent with balls the size of Texas decided to go all Rambo and save the day." He says dryly.

"That big, huh? Those are some big balls." I reply, my partner chuckling next to me. "Besides… couldn't have you killing MY man. So, someone had to step up." Pulling my rifle over my shoulder, I hand it over to him and add "Thanks for the loaner, tiger. See you 'round the brick." I give them all a wink, leaving them shocked still and then head over to the FBI SUV that is keeping Max locked up.

Knocking on the door, I open it and am greeted by the big man himself. Relatively speaking, he's good looking. If you passed him on the street, you'd think he was a good guy. Only those who have read his file and seen the wake of destruction he leaves knows the truth.

"Aren't you a sight for sore eyes." I sigh, leaning against the door, Teddy standing next to me, blocking the outside world from the handcuffed man.

"Arizona Robbins." He says with a smile. "All this time, it's finally good to meet you." The tone in his voice sets me on edge. "Had to bring in the big dogs to finally haul me in?" He sneers. This sets my engine running, him rubbing it in that it wasn't me that slapped the cuffs on him.

I'm about to snap back at him when my phone calls again. When I check the caller id, I press ignore. …_fucking Sean. _Turning back to the man in front of me, I ask "Was it worth it Max? All the killing, drug running, money laundering… was it really worth it? Now that its over…"

"Agent Robbins…" He drawls in a tone that parent use to chastise their children. "You don't honestly think that this is over, do you?"

"You're going to jail, for a long time." Teddy steps in when I'm about to blow a gasket.

"Maybe… maybe not. Agent…" He gestures for Teddy to fill in her name.

"Altman." She spits.

"Ahh, of course. Agent Theodora Altman. And how is your beau? …Timothy Robbins? Which just so happens to be… Arizona's twin, right?" He asks, putting on a show. Both Teddy and I keep our faces like stone, not revealing any emotion. We know this is just part of his game. Showing us that he knows personal details about us and our families. A tap on my shoulder tells me that my time is up, and that Max needs to be brought in for proper booking and holding. We share one last look, and then I go to shut the door but he grumbles something that makes me stop.

"Excuse me?" I ask, pulling the door back open. "Do you have something to say to me, Max?"

"I said… this isn't over." He spits. And the look he gives me would melt the skin off my face if it could. The hate and rage seething from this man is frightening, but I betray nothing. I just give a little chuckle then slam the door shut on the bastard. Teddy and I watch as the SUV rolls away, in the company of an escort of two police cruisers. …_over for you asshole. You're going to rot away, spending the rest of your miserable existence in the darkest cell I can find._

"Well…" Teddy sighs, and we turn to face each other. "Looks like we finally got our man." She says, holding out a hand and we share a very uncool high five.

"Always get my man." I whisper, pulling out my phone. …_one voicemail. Callie?_ When I bring it up to my ear and listen to the message, my blood runs cold. …_that's not Callie._

**ARIZONA! Help. Help me. **A blood curdling scream and someone yelling in the background. Pounding, like someone trying to get through a locked door. **Arizona, please help. Help me. **Wood splintering, telling me whoever it is just got through their obstacle. **NO! Get away. I've got a gun… I'll fucking kill you…** **I'll do it. I'll fucking-** And then the line goes dead.

"Who was that?" Teddy asks, seeing the color drain from my face.

"Get a uniformed escort, and get to Quinn's work. She's been attacked." I state. She nods, then takes off to find a ride. After a quick phone call, I get the location of her home and grab my own escort. Two uniformed officers and I barrel through the streets of Seattle, siren wailing as I speed towards Sean's home. I've heard that scream before, and it can't be faked. I know when I hear someone scream for their life, when they scream out of pure and utter terror. Its those screams that pull me out of my sleep in a cold sweat, its those screams that I hear in the darkest of nights. And it's the scream that is the last thing anyone should ever have to hear.

Pulling up outside the two storied house without lights and sirens, I fly out of the car and pull out my firearm, the two officers right behind me. The front door is busted in, setting my stomach on fire. …_damn it. _A deep breath and I breech the property, halting just inside, trying to hear anything. I motion for the one officer to the left, the other to the right.

"Clear." A soft voice calls from the right. Followed quickly by a 'clear' from the left. They rejoin me at the base of the stairs. Slowly, and silently, I climb the stairs, my gun at the ready. Clearing one room, then another. All along the way, a path of destruction meets my eyes. Upturned furniture and shattered vases. Pictures torn down as bodies run up the stairs and down the hall. The first sight of blood, I freeze. …_jesus. If I only just accepted that call… fuck._ A glance over my shoulder, I see my back up ready. Continuing down the hall, one cop peels off to the left and one to the right, clearing more rooms. …_breathe, Robbins, breathe. Focus. _I follow the drops of blood into what I can only assume is Sean's bedroom.

Opening the door, I see the door jam busted open, a footprint on the outside of the door from where the assailant kicked it in. I step into the bedroom and see even more chaos and damage. …_this... this wasn't just a break and enter. This was a rage, and passion. She knew this person. She knew this guy, whoever it was._ I open the closet, and no Sean. Check the other side of the bed, no Sean. Then I find an almost hidden door, along with another footprint. Pushing that door open, revealing an ensuite bathroom, I see blood everywhere. Amongst the blood is Sean, lying in the center of the bathroom.

"Jesus…" I whisper. "Call an ambulance!" I call out to my back up then rush to the aid of the defense attorney. My fingers find her throat, instantly coating in her blood. …_have a pulse. Please have a pulse._

"Damn it!" I groan, then start chest compressions when I don't feel anything. The next second, two uniforms step into the bathroom.

"Dear lord." One of the guys moan.

"Don't just stand there. Fucking call a bus!" I yell, stopping compressions and blowing air into the woman's body. …_don't die. Please, I don't need your blood on my conscious either. Fucking hell, Sean. Don't die. I know you're not one to just give up. Keep fighting._ I continue CPR for what seems like hours. Finally EMT's rush into the bathroom and pull me off her. I watch them shock her once, twice, three times and they finally find a rhythm. …_that's how you fight. Stay tough Sean._ When they load her into the back of the bus I follow immediately, climbing in behind her.

"How is she?" I ask, staring at her blood covered body. …_she's so pale. There was so much blood. So much blood. …Jesus, there was so much blood._

"Ma'am?" The man pulls me out of my own flashback. When I find his eyes, restates "She's been stabbed, beaten. …I don't know how she still has a pulse but she does. It's weak and thready, but if she's made it this far, she's got a good shot." The rest of the quick trip to the hospital is spent by me calling my partner, telling her to meet me in the ER, and sending a CSI team to Quinn's home and office. When we reach the hospital, Seattle Grace Mercy West, I watch as the trauma surgeon works on Sean's body, trying to breathe the life back into her. They aren't even in the trauma room for five minutes before they are wheeling her off to surgery.

As I'm watching the elevator doors close, a voice pulls me back to the present. "Arizona?" I turn towards the source of my name and see a very shocked looking head of Orthopedics. I can't even find my voice to respond.

"Arizona? What the-… what happened to you? Someone paged me, saying you were in the ER covered in blood." She says, color quickly draining from her face.

"Uhh…" I try to find something to say but my stomach is doing flips. I can see Callie's worry as she quickly does a once over.

"Arizona." She says firmly, shaking me a little. "Look at me… is this your blood?"

"No. No… it's not mine…" My stomach starts to win over and I turn away from my wife, making a bee line for the closest bathroom. I feel a hand on my back, pulling my hair out of my face as I empty the last bits of my lunch into the porcelain toilet bowl. _…so much blood. The smell. …The screaming._

"Better?" Callie asks softly once I sit back against the cool metal of the stall.

"Yeah." I whisper, taking the cold, wet towel she offers me. Callie lets me sit for a minute, gathering my mind.

"You going to tell me what happened?" She asks again.

"I uhhh… we got him. We got Max. Well, not me but… he's in custody. And then… I got a phone call from this woman who's involved with the case. She was…" I have to take another breath. "She was screaming for her life. Calling my name, like she was begging God himself to spare her." I have to shake my head to clear that sound from my ears, but it doesn't work. "I didn't know where she was, so I sent Teddy to her work and… and I went to her home. When I got there… it was a battlefield, Calliope. The blood…. I could smell it. That sickly sweet irony smell just slapped me upside the head. That… and the screaming. And then pulling the trigger on another human being. ...It's just-"

"Triggered you." Callie finishes for me, a concerned expression crossing her face. Rarely have I ever been triggered into a flashback as bad as this one. Only once before, when Sofia got a bloody nose from tripping and falling on her face. She screamed bloody murder, and her nose wouldn't stop bleeding. It made me sick. The smell… the sound… the sight of my daughter that upset. It was too much. And today… it happened again. It's not that it was Sean that got attacked, but just the collective happenings of today.

"Yeah." I answer flatly. Callie holds out a hand and I take it, her strong arms pull me up. "Jesus… no wonder you wigged out." I state when I see myself in the mirror. Blood all down the front of me, on my face from giving mouth to mouth, and in my hair.

"Wigged out?" Callie plays, trying to lighten the mood. "Yeah… I was a little wigged out, I guess." She admits as she starts to help me wipe off the dried blood from my face.

"So… it's over?" My wife asks after deeming my face clean. "This whole… thing. It's over. You got the bad guy. Well… our bad guy?"

"Yeah…. Yeah, I think uhh… I think it's over Calliope." I say with a small smile. Her hand comes up to rest on my cheek, my body tingling at the touch. "Did Tim pick Sofia up?" I ask, knowing I missed picking her up from kindergarten because I was aiming at a mob boss through a sniper rifle.

"Yeah, they are at home. Tim says she's watching Finding Nemo while she talks his ear off about all the latest playground gossip." She replies, making us both giggle. I start to lean in for a kiss, but Callie steps back.

"You're covered in blood, babe." She states, making me look down and giggle.

"Right. So I am…" I sigh.

"Come on." Callie says as she takes my hand. "I've got a pair of clean scrubs in my office. We'll get you changed. Then you can kiss me as much as you want. And then we'll see how your victim is doing in surgery." All I can do is smile and allow myself to be led through the hospital and up to her office. I get my clothes striped off and thrown into a biohazard bag when Callie gets paged. She reads it, then looks at me with an uncertain face.

"Go. I'm fine, Calliope." I say with a fake smile. A quick kiss, and a promise to be back in ten minutes, and the Ortho goddess is gone, leaving me alone in her office. I'm just getting my primary weapon strapped to my waist band and my credentials tucked into the holster on my ankle when my phone rings. …_jesus, can't I get a break?_

"Robbins." I answer.

"**Where the hell are you?"** The directors booming voice asks immediately.

"At the hospital, sir. There was an attack on-"

"**They're loose."** He says, not letting me finish my sentence.

"Who's loose?"

"**O'Neals… or Nealy's… whatever their fucking name is."**

"What? ! …When?" I spit, my stomach immediately tightening.

"**Couple hours ago." **He says with a sigh.

"And I'm just now finding this out? ! …When the hell-" I'm about to tear into this man when he cuts me off.

"**Do not raise you voice at me, Agent Robbins."** The Director chastises me**. "I just found out. They were getting transported to prison when their transport got ambushed. The O'Neals, along with a half a dozen other prisoners, escaped but not before whoever busted them out shot the four officers."**

"Fuck…" I groan out. "I thought this was over."

"**I need you on this. NOW. …You always tell me that your job is to hunt these men down. Well, now it's a free for all. I want them back in their cells YESTERDAY!"** He tells me in a tone of voice that means my job is on the line if I don't.

"Of course sir. I'll collect Agent Altman and we'll be at the brick by 18:00." Apparently that is satisfactory enough because the line goes dead. I take a minute to process this new information. All of this information. …_got Max. Sean was attacked. Prisoner break. This… this isn't over. He was right. This is far from over._ I'm so lost in thought that I don't hear the soft padding behind me, I don't smell the faint perfume in the air, and I don't sense the presence of another person in Callie's office with me. The only thing I do feel is the cool metal prongs on the side of my neck, quickly followed by a thousand volts coursing through my body. Then… darkness.

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><p>AN2: So… a lot going on in this chapter. Max got caught. Sean got attacked. Nealy's got freed. And Arizona got tasered. How does this all work together, or are these just a string of random events? (Ya right! LoL) What's going to happen next? Again, thanks for all the support and awesome feedbacks. You guys are great!<p> 


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: This is AU. I do not own any of the characters from Grey's Anatomy. I just manipulate them to my will. Also, any line or phrase or setting that seems remotely familiar from any other show, movie or book, also not mine.

AN: So, we left Arizona after she was attacked. She thought it was all over, but is it really? Enjoy!

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><p>Chapter 16<p>

The first thing I notice is the stiffness in my neck, followed by a ringing in my ear and the tingling throughout my body. I know that I should be getting up but my body just isn't listening to me like it should be. Muffled noises soon sharpen, and my eyes flutter open. A bright light shines down on me, scorching the outer layer of my cornea. …_fuck… what the hell happened to me? This is the worst hangover ever._ I try to move, but a hand on my shoulder pushes me back.

"Relax, Arizona." A voice that I can't place yet says.

"What…" I try to talk, the feeling of electricity zipping across my lips. "What happened?" When my eyes finally agree to focus for me, I see the dark brown eyes of my wife above me. "Where am I?" I ask.

"You're still at the hospital." She says softly. I try to get up again, but the pounding in my head makes my stomach less than easy.

"Jesus… did I get hit by a bus or something?" I growl.

"You got tasered." Another voice answers. I look to my right and see Teddy leaning against a wall, phone placed firmly against her ear.

"Tasered?" I ask, not believing it. I've been tasered before. Its part of the training you go through before you are able to hold an FBI badge. You experience everything that you may put a perp through, which includes being tasered and even pepper sprayed.

"Can you sit up?" Callie asks, getting a slight nod out of me. I take her hand and she helps pull me up in a sitting position. As I look around, I see that I've been put in one of the hospital beds, but its not in the ER. Callie pulls her stethoscope from her lab coat pocket and places the ear buds in her ears. I jump at the coldness of the listening end as it hits my skin.

"How do you feel?" She asks in a disjointed voice. I know that voice. It's the one she uses when she tries to distance herself from a situation.

"Like shit." I groan, expecting a chuckle from my partner but all I'm met with is silence. "What happened?" I finally ask after trying to piece together the chain of events that led me to this bed.

"What's the last thing you remember?" Teddy asks, going into victim interrogation mode.

"Ummm…" I search my brain for the last images I can remember. "I found Sean nearly dead in her home. …Came to the hospital. …Callie's office. …The phone call! That's the last thing I remember. Talking with the Director." Suddenly my heart starts to race. "They are loose Teddy! We need to go." I state, trying to get off the bed, but a strong hand from a certain Latina surgeon keeps me in place.

"I know… I talked to the Director as well. I got Wilson's team working that." She says confidently. "Did you see who did this to you?" My partner asks, continuing on with the matter at hand.

"No… no I didn't. One second I was… I was hanging up with the Director then the next thing… I'm here." I state, looking around the sterile and very bright hospital room. "Where's my stuff?" I ask out of no where.

"Stuff?" Callie asks confusedly.

"Yeah… my sidearm's, and credentials… my phone." I answer, patting my hip and ankle for where they should be.

"You don't…" Teddy starts, catching my eye, then I can see a silent curse word fall from the agents lips. She immediately pulls out her phone again to make a call to HQ, letting them know that an agents weapon has been stolen.

"Fuck." I spit, burying my face in my hands. "They stripped me. Damn it." …_awesome. Two guns registered to me are floating around somewhere, AND my badge. I am so fucked._

"Arizona, look at me, please." Callie says in her professional tone. I look up and she tests my pupils, doing physical to make sure I'm ok. "You seem fine, probably will be light headed for a while. And I'll go get some cream for the burn on your neck." She says with a smile. Pulling her gloves off, I watch her disappear through the hospital doorway and leave my sight.

"Has she been acting like that the entire time?" I ask my partner and she nods. Quickly standing, and then having to take a couple seconds to catch my balance, I take off after the Latina. I track her down in one of the supply closets on her floor. She's rifling through things in a frenzy, talking to herself in Spanish.

"Calliope…" I start softly, not wanting to spook her. "Callie, baby, its me." I say again, placing a hand on her exposed forearm. She freezes, and I can feel her body shaking. "Calliope… Please…" In a blink of an eye, she turns and wraps my body in a bone crushing hug.

"I was so scared." She says as wetness hits my skin. The burn at the side of my neck is not liking the vice grip she has on me but I push down my physical discomfort to give comfort to my wife. "I'm a doctor and… when I saw you lying there on the floor… I panicked. I just froze." She admits.

"It's ok…" I say softly, my hands rubbing up and down her back.

"I left you, Arizona. I left you… and then you got attacked." She sobs into my neck.

"It wasn't your fault, Calliope. It's not your fault. If anything… you could have been hurt too." I tell her, my heart breaking at just the thought of her having to share in the pain of what just happened. …_though I'm guessing her emotional pain is about ten times greater than my physical pain right now._

"You said it was over." She tells me, needing someone else to blame if I won't let her blame herself.

"I know… I thought it was. Maybe this isn't even a part of the O'Connor case." I state, even though I know for a fact it is. Even the biggest coincidence wouldn't lead to an FBI agent getting tasered the exact same way two murdered cops were in a case she just supposedly wrapped up. …_Max is still fighting._

"I saw someone running down the hall…" She finally says, and I pull her back.

"You saw the guy?" I ask.

"All I saw was someone running the opposite way down the hall from my office. …I didn't even think it strange until I saw you lying on the ground." She answers.

"Why didn't you think it strange?" I ask, trying really hard not to interrogate her too much, but needing as much information as I can get.

"They were in scrubs." She tells me, wiping her eyes. "Nurse's scrubs."

"Tall, short? Fat, thin? White, black, Hispanic? Did you notice anything else?" I press. "Did you recognize a hair style… shoes… anything?"

"No." She shakes her head. "I… I barely looked up. And then… then I turned the corner into my office and… and saw you…" I watch her, waiting to see if she's going to break again, but a deep breath and one more sniff, and Dr. Torres is back in action. "I'm good. Really, I'm good." She glances at the time on her phone and curses quietly. "I promised Tim we'd be home an hour ago."

"Come on. Let me go tell Teddy to check the security footage. Then we'll get Miguel from daycare and go home. …I could use a 'relaxing' night." I say, taking her hand in mine and pull her back to my waiting partner. As I recount Callie's admission to me, giving instructions to have uniforms sweep the hospital and someone check out any security footage the hospital might have, Callie tries to get a hold of my twin brother.

"He's not answering his cell." Callie says in a concerned tone.

"Try the house." I say, scratching myself just above my left breast. When my fingernails dig into the fabric, I feel a crunching against my skin. …_what the hell?_ I slip two fingers underneath the scrubs and my bra, and pull out a single piece of paper.

"What's that?" Teddy asks, seeing my confused face. I shake my head, telling her I don't know, then study the picture. It's a fish… a blue one. A fish that I instantly recognize. I should, I've been forced to watch the movie a million times because it's my daughters absolute favorite film. Printed on this ripped and crinkled piece of paper, placed just above my heart, is a picture of Dory from Finding Nemo. And Dory just so happens to be Sofia's favorite character. …_oh god._

"No answer." Callie says after trying our house phone. …_oh god._ "That's weird." She adds. It takes everything I have to not let my face twist up in panic and horror.

"Yeah ummm… Teddy, can I talk to you outside for a minute?" I ask, literally pulling my partner out of the hospital room.

"What the-" She starts but I cut her off.

"Watch Callie. Take her upstairs, get Miguel, then drive her home. Now. Got it?" I spit at her, mind racing and my stomach in knots. She immediately grabs the paper still grasped in my hands, and the dots connect for her in seconds.

"Jesus…" She whispers, her face draining of color.

"Do it." Then I grab the keys to her cruiser and run down the halls of the hospital at full speed.

I'm at the dark colored undercover sedan in a minute, and I peel out of the parking lot. Sirens wail as I push the engine to its max. …_come on. Come on! Fuck! GET OUT OF THE WAY! _I skid around the corner of the street our house is on, and come to a screeching halt just inches away from plowing into Callie's T-Bird. Yanking out the shotgun that is locked within the cruiser, I pump it to load it and approach the house. My heart is pounding and my ears are ringing from the blood rushing through me. Taking the porch steps two at a time, I see the front door busted open. …_No. No no no no. Please god no._ It creaks as I push the heavy door open with one hand, the shotgun gripped in my right. A sign of a struggle immediately greets me. Pictures torn down off walls, things thrown to the floor.

"Fuck." I growl. I enter my usually warm and safe home, my blood stone cold. I move quickly through the living room and find nothing. It's quiet in the house, and it makes me sick. Once I hit the kitchen, my heart stops. Laying on the floor, a gun inches from his extended arm, is my brother.

"Tim." I whisper, keeping my eyes up. I don't see blood, but that still doesn't settle my stomach. Approaching quietly, I kneel down and find a pulse on his neck. …_fuck, where is Sofia?_ I run upstairs, my sense of safety now long gone, only fearing for that of my daughter.

"Sofia? Sofia? !" I yell, hoping she's hiding somewhere. "Baby girl, if you're hiding, play time is over!" I exclaim, terror taking over my whole body. I tear through the entire upstairs, looking through every closet, hamper, and toy chest. Anywhere a tiny four year old could hide, I search. But nothing. …_NO! NO NO NO._ I return to her room and check under her bed. Its where she usually hides during our Robbins Hide and Seek, but she's not there. I don't even know when I started to cry, but tears are now flowing freely from my eyes. A glint of silver on top of her nicely made bed grabs my attention. I reach out and pick up the object. It's a quarter.

"FUCK!" I yell, sending the first thing I can grab through the second story window. I'm out of my daughter's room before the glass can hit the floor. _…I'll fucking kill Max. I'll kill him with my bare hands._ My feet fly as fast as they can down the stairs, back into the kitchen and my hands fumble for the phone.

"**911, what's your-"**

"This is Supervisory Special Agent Arizona Robbins of the FBI. I need an Amber Alert posted nationwide." I spit into the phone. "Sofia Michelle Robbins-Torres. Four years old. Tan complexion, brown hair, brown eyes. Approx thirty five pounds." I start spitting out a description of my daughter as I approach my still knocked out brother. Flipping him over puts a strain on my already ragged body.

As I hear the 911 operator type furiously, I try to get Tim up. "Tim!" I shout. I shake him, but nothing. Shake him harder, he starts to stir. I can see a taser burn on his neck nearly identical to mine. …_forgive me for what I'm about to do._ Then I pull back my right hand and bring it across his face.

"Ah!" He yelps, my slap bringing him back to consciousness.

"Where is she? !" I yell immediately, even though I know he is no where coherent enough to give me an answer. Just then I hear sirens pull up outside, and then running. My partner is through the door immediately.

"Tim? Honey?" Teddy is by his side, helping him come out easier.

"Where is she?" I yell again, and get a hard look from my partner, Tim's girlfriend.

"Arizona." She chastises me.

"Arizona?" A trembling voice behind me makes me turn. Standing at the entrance to the kitchen, taking in the sight before her, is my wife. Our son bouncing in her arms. …._fuck. How do I say this?_ "Arizona, what happened?" She asks, but I know she is well aware of what is going on here. It doesn't take a mental giant to put together the limp uncle on the floor, the disaster of a house, and the shotgun still gripped in my hand… and no Sofia in sight. I rise slowly, setting the gun down on the counter and approach the Latina.

"Give him to me." I say softly, not wanting Mowgli to slip from her grasp just in case.

"No." She says, taking a step back from me as she grips our son tighter. "Where is Sofia?"

"Calliope-" I start but she cuts me off.

"WHERE IS SHE?" She yells, making our son start crying.

"I… I don't-" I try again, but again she cuts me off, not wanting to hear anything I have to say.

"Don't." She cuts me off. The look in her eyes is something I've never seen before. Ice cold doesn't even begin to describe it. "Don't even tell me…" Her eyes flash to her brother in law on the kitchen floor, Teddy next to him as she continues setting up the Amber Alert for Sofia.

"Calliope… please." I take a step forward, needing some comfort myself but she just steps away from me again. Like I'm vile, I'm vermin. Like I did this to my family.

"YOU DID THIS! They took my daughter, because of you." She finally breaks, body wrenching sobs consume her. I rush forward to support her, afraid if she collapses, our son will go with her. She fights me, but she doesn't put up much of a fight. I lead her into the living room, the least damaged of the entire home, and sit her on the couch. By now, a fleet of cops have shown up. Teddy knows what to do, and she does it, delegating tasks and finding a picture of Sofia to put out with the Amber alert. She instructs the officers to check up and down the block for any witnesses, if anything was heard, if any car raised suspicion. All I can do is watch my wife fall apart, wanting to fall apart myself.

After I give her a minute to cry, all the while clinging to a very upset Miguel, I try again. "Calliope… baby, please-"

"Stop." She spits, rising out of her seat to face me head on. "Don't you fucking say it, Arizona. You did this to us. YOU! This is your fault. MY daughter was taken from me because of you." I know she's upset, I know it's the anger and the rage and the ripping of her heart that is making her say this but still… its hard to hear.

"I hate you." She says it so evenly it makes my spine tingle. "I fucking hate you, Arizona. And if you don't find my daughter, I will never forgive you." With that, she turns on her heels and races up the stairs. A minute later I hear our bedroom door being slammed shut. I stand in my living room, the one I just kissed my daughter in this morning, and try to breathe. But it's not working. I'm not working. A strong hand on my shoulder shakes me from my focus.

"Don't." I whisper, shrugging off my brother's touch. I know he feels just as terrible as I do. He was watching Sofia. He is a trained Marine, he was armed. He has muscles coming out of muscles and he still let someone get the drop on him.

"Zebra…" He whispers, and with just that one word, I know he heard everything my wife just said. …_the whole fucking block heard it. …She's right._

"Tim… don't. Just… just don't." I tell him, not able to meet his blue eyes that match mine perfectly. I don't remember moving, but the next thing I know, I'm sitting out on the front porch, watching the whirlwind of activity happen in front of me. A lit cigarette is held between my fingers but I haven't taken a single drag. I just sit there, staring off into space. Images of my baby girl flash before my eyes. The sound of her laugh fills my ears. My heart aches unbearably. I've never known a pain like this, and I don't know if I'll ever heal if I don't get her back. If I never feel her in my arms again, I don't think I could live.

It's not until a larger body sits down next to me, his body still stiff from the taser hit he took. His eyes find my neck and sees the matching burn. I heard him and Teddy talking, my partner relaying the events of today, and at the hospital. And I heard Tim replay the sequence of events of the kidnapping. How he was ambushed. Two people. One bigger, one smaller, both in black ski caps. He fought them, got a good couple punches in before he was hit. He fought to stay conscious enough to get to his gun, but he couldn't fight the million volts running through him. He said the last thing he heard was his niece, my daughter, screaming.

"I'm sorry." He says quietly. I don't answer him, I don't look up, I don't even breathe. I don't think I've been able to take a breath since I saw the front door having been broken open. It's only been a half hour, but still... that's a long time to go without air.

He places a hand on my leg and tries again "Zebra, I'm so sor-"

I jump off the porch, spinning to face him. "Shut up. Just… shut up! I know you feel like shit. But don't you fucking dare tell me it's your fault. I'm barely holding it together, so don't you fucking fall apart too." I'm met with dead eyes. I can see the pain floating in those baby blues, and I know mine look just as bad, if not worse.

When Teddy steps out onto the porch with us, our eyes lock and I say "I can't just sit here." I start to pace back and forth. "I can't sit on my ass and just wait for a phone call. I can't NOT do anything. I need to work. I need to do SOMETHING. I will tear this whole fucking city apart if I have to… but I can't just sit here and wait."

Teddy gives me a hard glare. She knows the customary rules when a child is taken. Parents stay home and wait for a phone call that nearly always comes. The kidnappers demand money, or some other type of payment. But… this isn't a normal kidnapping. We both know what it will take to get Sofia back… and that's one thing we just can't give.

"Alright, let's go." Teddy finally says. With that, I fly into the house and up the stairs. I know Callie doesn't want to see me, but I need to see her, and I need some supplies. At first I think about just walking right in, but the way she exploded at me downstairs makes me nervous. …_fuck it. She can be pissed off at me. She can hate me, that's fine. I hate myself, but now it's about finding Sofia._ A quick knock to warn her, and I enter. What I see when I step into our bedroom breaks my heart. Callie is half sitting half lying on the bed, our son clutched fiercely against her. He's sleeping soundly which is probably the only reason the tears running down the Latina's face are silent. She doesn't look up at me, and I don't know if I should say something. So I don't. Instead, I strip out of the scrubs and pull on a pair of jeans and an FBI hoodie. …_got no badge, need something to identify myself with._ Next, I open my closet and bend down to unlock the safe box in there. When the threat was first made, I gave Tim my two backups but he gave them back once we thought the threat had diminished. Now, I take the one inside the safe and slip it in the back of my pants, knowing my other one is downstairs.

I'm about to walk out of the bedroom when a soft voice asks "Where are you going?" I can tell her throat is raw from crying so much, her voice scratchy and uneven.

Turning back to my wife, I meet her eyes. We both share the same look, a look of heart ache and terror. "I'm going to find Sofia." She doesn't say anything, just gives a slight nod. One last look, then I turn and race down the stairs. After a talk with the uniformed officers, and a demand that at least four of them stay at the house, armed and alert at all times, I walk out the back door to find my brother.

"Tim." I state firmly, getting his attention. He turns and faces me, looking about 20 years older than the last time I saw him. …_I probably look the same way._ Without saying another word, I hand him my second backup side arm, the one that was inches away from him on the floor.

When he hesitates, I extend the gun out another inch, gesturing him to take it. "Take it." I tell him. "You'll be staying here while Teddy and I go…" I can finish the sentence without bile rising in the back of my throat. "While we are away."

He finally takes the proffered weapon and slips it in the back of his jeans for safe keeping. Our matching blue eyes remained locked on each others. He opens his mouth to say something but I cut him off.

"Don't." I warn him, then turn on my heel to leave. But I can't walk away from him. He's my brother, my twin brother. We've been through hell and back, literally. I saved his life in Iraq, and he saved mine by coming home alive. Without even thinking about it, I turn back around and fly into his arms. His strong body wraps me up in a tight hug that no one else seems to be able to do.

"I don't blame you." I whisper, and I feel him let go off a muffled sob. "This isn't your fault, ok? No matter what anyone says, no matter what you think… it's not your fault. You hear me?" Another sob racks his body as he nods into the crook of my neck.

When I pull back, his blue eyes are shining with tears. "Take care of my family, Tim. …There's no one else I trust more than you." I tell him, then give him a kiss on the cheek. With that, I leave him in the small back yard and head back up to the house.

As I open the back door, he calls after me. "Hey Zebra…" I turn and meet his gaze. "I love you."

"Love you too, T-Man." With a wink, Teddy and I are heading back out the front of the house and into her cruiser, shotgun gripped in my hand. I don't know the game plan, I don't know where to start, but I know that I my daughter WILL be coming back home safe and sound, even if it means I'm won't.

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><p>AN2: Where do you think Arizona will start her manhunt? Will she find allies along the way, or just more enemies? …And who, exactly, is the enemy in all of this?<p> 


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: This is AU. I do not own any of the characters from Grey's Anatomy. I just manipulate them to my will. Also, any line or phrase or setting that seems remotely familiar from any other show, movie or book, also not mine.

AN: Ok so… the response I got from last chapter was amazing! Loved it. Loved all the comments that said I actually got tears out of a few of you. Awesome! Now… another chapter. Let's see how Arizona goes about finding her baby girl. Right now she seems alittle stuck… lost. Will she be able to track down those that have done her wrong in time? Let's find out. …Enjoy!

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><p>Chapter 17<p>

"You don't have to come with me." I say as we slip into her cruiser.

"And miss you going all 'Rambo' around the city of Seattle? Yeah, right." Teddy says playfully, trying to lighten the mood. When she sees the stone faced mask I have on, she clears her throat and goes into professional mode as well.

"Where to?" She asks. At this point I'm not sure. I have no game plan. No means to an end. I just have a goal in mind. …_Sofia. I have to find Sofia. She needs to be ok. She needs to be ok. _My mind races as I piece together all the missing ends we have floating around out there. Max is locked up. O'Neal's are out, running around somewhere. Then there is Sean, and her attacker. My attacker. Tim's attacker.

"Hospital." I finally say. With that, Teddy fires up the engine, puts on the sirens and takes off into the chilly Seattle night. There were a number of places I could have started. I could have gone to Sean's home, I could have paid a visit to Max in lock up. But Sean is the one puzzle piece that hangs in the balance. She may live… she may die. So I need to talk to her as soon as possible. _…if she is even awake. _

Twenty minutes later I'm striding through the halls of Seattle Grace Mercy West for the third time today. It's late, and I'm exhausted. Last night, I had a horrible nightmare, one which took my wife literally shaking me to wake up from. I have a couple broken ribs, and a huge bruise on my side from catching a 38 special with my body, and now a nasty taser gun burn on my neck. Not to mention my heart has just been yanked out of my chest by whoever just took my daughter. And then quickly stomped on by my wife who can't even look at me now. _…I've lost her. I've lost my wife. And she's going to take my kids. She's going to leave me… and I don't blame her. _

"Excuse me… you can't-" A nurse calls before I give her one of the coldest looks ever. Teddy flashes her badge, since mine has been stolen along with my two sidearm's. I have a back up tucked in the back of my jeans, covered by the FBI hoodie I am wearing.

Not even meeting the eyes of the two uniformed officers guarding her hospital door, I enter Sean's room. She's lying on the bed, tube down her throat. A number of machines and computers hooked up to her frail body. She looks like half the woman she was when she first captivated me in that interrogation room. …_can it be that that was only two days ago?_ Whatever it was I felt for her is long gone. All of my feelings are gone. Now I just feel numb. And I know I will feel like that until the second my Sofia runs into my arms again.

I approach the bed slowly, Teddy hanging back. I can't seem to do anything but just stare at her, lying there. It's like I'm lost. I have nothing… nothing to go on. I've lost my ability to work. I'm standing in front of a comatose person, looking for answers to questions I can't even ask. …Because my lead is comatose. Unresponsive. I might as well look to a vegetable for answers. …Answers that I can't help but think she was going to give me if I had just accepted her phone call. If I had accepted her phone call, I could have helped her. But now… she's lying here, fighting for her life. _…because of me._

I'm so focused, so strung up that when the door opens, I instinctively grab the gun from the back of my pants and raise it to the intruder.

"Whoa! Down girl." Detective Spade says, holding her hands up in surrender. Her shocked face matching that of my partners.

"What are you doing here?" I spit, lowering my weapon and slipping it back in place. "This isn't a homicide… not yet anyways." I add, looking back at the woman fighting for each breath.

"Altman called me…" She tells me. Spade joins me next to Sean's bed. I can feel the material of my hoodie being pulled down, exposing the burn on my neck. Then the detective turns to the unconscious woman in front of us and pulls away a bandage are her neck. …_she was tased._

"Tim was tased too." I add, my brain starting to work again. Spade spreads out a case file across the bed, on top of Sean and pulls out two pictures. Crime scene photos of the two murdered cops and holds them out for me. The two sets of burns pictured in the photographs are identical to mine, Tim's and Sean's. …_ok Robbins, time to focus. You've had your time to fall apart. Now its time to catch this bastard._

A knock on the hospital door makes everyone jump. A uniformed officer pokes his head in and gestures for us to step outside. Once we do, we follow him into a tiny room somewhere in the belly of the hospital. The room is dark, lit only by the glow of dozens of screens. Images of doctors, nurses, and patients change every fives seconds or so.

"We think we found your assailant, Agent Robbins." The officer says, then motions for the security guy to cue up a video. The biggest screen flashes to a hall with a time stamp of nearly three hours ago, then I watch as Callie steps out into it. …_ok, this is the Ortho ward. The hallway leading to her office._ She peeks over her shoulder one last time, like most people do when leaving their significant others, and then walks off screen. A minute passes, one that I know is filled with a very unhappy conversation with the Director about Frankie and Johnnie being on the loose again. Then another figure slips into the office. There is no sound to this, but I know that I probably screamed out as soon as the taser hit skin.

I watch the seconds tick by, and a couple minutes after my attacker joins me, they slip back out. The seemingly 20 year old surveillance equipment is black and white, grainy. The resolution is shit, and even if my attacker had been looking right at the camera, we wouldn't be able to get a good face shot. But this person knows where the security camera is, and keeps their head down as they run back the way they came.

"See their waistband?" Teddy points out and I nod. Even with the poor quality, I can see the bulge of my two weapons clipped to the scrub bottoms.

Seconds after the perp leaves camera, Callie enters from the opposite way. As she goes to enter her office, she freezes. One second… two seconds… three seconds. Then she turns back towards the hall, probably to shout out for help, the finally races into the office. Five seconds later, a couple nurses come running into the picture and fly into the office. At that, the clip stops.

"That didn't give us much." Spade states obviously after a couple silent seconds.

"It was a woman." I say firmly, like there is no chance of it being any other way.

Spade looks at the image of the fleeing suspect again, grainy and very poor quality. The person is average height, and could easily pass for a skinny guy or a slightly larger woman. But my spidey senses are tingling.

"What makes you say that?" Spade asks, not able to discern any characteristics from the screenshot.

"The scrubs." I state, pointing to the screen. "The sleeves. Female nurses have shorter sleeves than the guys." Only someone spending a lot of time in a hospital, or married to a doctor, would know that. Then a face pops up in my head. …_Sam._ In a second, I'm out of the surveillance room and running towards Callie's office. Teddy and Sharice are hot on my trail, trying to keep up. My adrenaline is pumping, finally having some sort of a lead. When I get to her office, it's locked.

"Fuck." I growl, then put every ounce of strength I have left into kicking it open. My cracked ribs scream in pain as the force jolts my body, but I feed off of it. Once the door gives, I round the Latina's desk and start rummaging through it.

"Where is it…" I groan, rifling through paper after paper, file after file, drawer after drawer. When my eyes land on a picture at the corner of her desk, I could swear someone reached into my body, grabbed all my organs and squeezed. It my favorite picture of our family, all four of us smiling during one of our days at the beach. Sofia wrapped up in my arms as Callie bounces Miguel in her lap.

"Robbins… fill me in, please. What's the gut saying this time?" Teddy asks, knowing not to second guess my instincts by now. Wiping a lone tear that managed to break from the dams, I go back to searching my Callie's desk.

"There was this nurse fawning over Calliope today. Something didn't set right with her. …I'd never seen the woman before but…" I explain as I make a mess of my wife's files, but I figure she already hates me, this won't hurt. "…but something was off about her." Finally my fingers find the Ortho ward's nurse rotation. My eyes scan for a name. …_where are you. Come on. Sam Sam Sam Sam… Sam!_

"Found it." I whisper, then my eyes find her last name. …_that can't be right. _

Teddy peeks over my shoulder and sees the name my finger is resting on. "Sam Quinn?" Three sets of eyes flash confusion instantaneously.

"That can't be a coincidence, can it?" Detective Spade is the first one to speak up.

"I don't believe in coincidences." I tell her. The next second I am out of the office and running across the hospital again. After years of walking around every inch of this place, I am able to find the fastest route and less populated path to my goal destinations. By the time I reach the office, a woman is just locking up the door.

"Wait! FBI." I yell through ragged breath, Teddy and Sharice coming up behind me. "I need you too give me an address of one of the hospital employees." I tell the Human Resources worker.

"Sorry… that's not something I can just give out." The older woman says coolly, then pulls her keys out of the door. She goes to step around me but doesn't get far. I step in front of her, halting her exit plan and invade her personal space.

"Get your ass in there. Now." I growl through gritted teeth. The startled woman looks over my shoulder and sees Teddy holding up her FBI credentials, and Detective Spade holding up her Seattle PD shield.

"I don't have much time, lady." I state firmly, making her eyes flash back to mine. She visibly swallows, then turns and inserts her keys into the lock again. A minute later, I'm looking over her shoulder as she quickly types within the hospital employment files.

"I don't work faster with you breathing over my shoulder." She says in a tone that tells me she is not use to being strong armed like this.

"Try." I reply, and just get a huff out of the woman. "That's her." I say, seeing the correct name come up on the computer. Teddy and Sharice come up behind the seated woman, crowding her, to look at the address Sam used to apply for the nursing position.

"Damn it." I swear.

"You know the address?" Teddy asks.

"Yeah… that's Sean's home address." I state. We take down Sam Quinn's information, along with her SSN then leave the very pissed off HR worker to lock up again. Once inside Teddy's cruiser, I tell Sharice to run Sam's name and SSN through the system to see if the woman has any sort of record. During the drive, I keep glancing at the time. …_22 hours. 22 hours left within the 24 hour time frame_. Sometimes the burden of knowledge is a terrible thing. Like right now, I would give anything to NOT know that 90% of all kidnapped children are… no longer with us… after the first 24 hours. _…she's ok. She's strong. She's smart. You trained her to survive. She's your little soldier. She'll fight. She's going to be ok. I'm coming for you Sofia. Be strong for Mommy._

As we pull up in front of Sean's …_and apparently Sam's…_home, Sharice announces "Sam's SSN was a fake. …And there is no record of a Sam Quinn ever residing at this residence. Only a Sean Quinn. …Could they be sisters?" Sharice asks.

"Sean's an only child." I say flatly, exiting the cruiser.

"How do you know?" The black woman asks me curiously.

"Because she is." I sneer, having very little patience to go over what I already know, even if she doesn't know. "I profiled Sean myself… she's an only child. Trust me." It takes Teddy and Sharice both flashing their badge and vouching for me to be let onto the property since I don't have my own ID. We slip under the yellow tape and walk up the path that I ran up only a few hours ago. The sound of Sean's screams from her voicemail message start to leak into my ears, but I push them away. My only focus right now is finding Sofia, which means I have to figure out who, exactly, took her.

The three of us head upstairs. I check all the other bedrooms but find nothing that would suggest someone living there. No clothes in dressers, or closets. No suitcase suggesting a family visit. Nothing. So we move to the master bed and bath where most of the damage was done. CSI is almost finished and quickly give us the room. I stand at the foot of the bed, my eyes scanning the entire scene. It's a mess. …_definitely a crime of passion._ My eyes find a journal on the nightstand and I start to page through it, quickly scanning it for anything that might seem significant.

"I'll be damned…" Teddy breathes out after finding something of interest.

"Hmm?" I ask, reading a quick passage about Johnnie O'Neal's case that Sean wrote in her journal.

"Did you know Sean's girlfriend is Samantha Bryne?" My partner asks, holding up a broken picture frame. My head snaps up and I cross the room in two stride. …_I'm a fucking idiot._ All the dots start to come together. Cursing under my breath, I turn away from the picture and close my eyes, concentrating on not putting my fist through a wall, or a window.

"It all fits…" I finally say. "Sam Quinn isn't related to Sean. Sam Quinn, like the SSN, is a fake. Sam Quinn IS Samantha Bryne. …Samantha O'Connor. Samantha Byrne. Sam Quinn. …They are the same FUCKING woman."

"Max's daughter." Spade says, joining the conversation.

"She's the mystery woman. …From the very beginning. The two cops. We said that Johnnie was protecting someone. He was the more passive personality, and that he was protecting a more dominant one. …Likely family. Sam is Johnnie's half sister." I start to piece together the entire case. I knew that there was just ONE thing that would make this whole clusterfuck make sense. "She tasered them… like she tasered Sean, myself and Tim. She stabbed them, like she stabbed Sean. …And I'd bet good money that she is the owner of a certain 38 special that gunned me down." I add, my hand subconsciously rubbing over the cracked ribs and bruised skin.

We let it sink in for a minute, then another memory flashes in front of my eyes. The scene with Callie in her office. "Damn it…" I growl again. "This IS my fault. Sean was attacked because of me." This declaration gets a very confused look out of the other two women.

"Sam was there when you called me about the raid, Teddy. …She was there in the room. I told Callie that Max was going down. Sam knew that we were going after her father." I continue to explain while I pace back and forth across the bedroom. I can see realization light Teddy's eyes, but having not be a part of this part of the case, Sharice is lost.

"Then… why did she go after Sean, and not warn Max?" Detective Spade asks, quickly trying to catch up with us.

"Sean and Sam were involved, but their relationship was on the rocks. Then Sean tipped us off about the Irish-Russian deal. Then the next day they had broken up." I explain, remembering our steamy little meeting in the restroom a couple days ago. "I'm guessing that when Sam heard me say we found Max, she immediately thought that her ex-girlfriend was the leak again."

"It would account for all the rage." Spade says as she looks around the destroyed room. "But why let her father get arrested? Why not warn him?" This is the one thing that doesn't pan out. It's the one thing that doesn't fit. If Sam had the knowledge that a raid was set on Max, why wouldn't she tell her father to move. To leave. To prepare himself with something besides a few guards and a small sidearm.

"I don't know." I finally say, running a ragged hand through my hair. A glance at the upturned clock on the nightstand tells me that only 21 hours remain within the golden time frame. _…she was right under my nose the entire time. She was right there. Callie saw her everyday. Damn it… how could I miss it? !_

"Why don't we go ask the man himself?" Teddy asks with a cocky smile. With that, and the journal of Sean's, we leave the crime scene with about a million loose ends tied up. But still none of them lead me any closer to finding my daughter. With each passing minute my heart rips more and more. But I'm doing something. And I'll do anything to get to her, even if at the end of this I lose my entire family. I need to find her.

Teddy drives us towards county lock up, not trusting Max to leave the highly secured facility to be transported anywhere else. Especially when someone …_I'd bet Sam, plus a few other of Max's rats…_ busted Frankie and Johnnie out of custody during transport. During the drive, I order more security on Sean just incase Sam decides to go back to the hospital to finish off her ex-girlfriend. I also make the calls to inform all of Seattle LEOs that Samantha Bryne, Samantha O'Connor, Sam Quinn… whatever the hell she goes by officially… is no longer JUST a person of interest, but a suspect. A highly dangerous suspect.

"She was right there Teddy…" I say softly as I stare out at the passing Seattle streets, shining from the most recent rain fall and the lights of buildings bouncing off of puddles. "She was right in front of my face."

"Arizona… you can't do this." My partner and long time friend replies, shaking her head from side to side.

I turn to face her, and continue "She took Sofia, Teddy. She. TOOK. HER. …If I had just… just-"

"Just what? What could you have done? All you knew was Sam was a new nurse. You didn't know anything else. You can't go thinking that you could have prevented all this." Teddy tells me, altering between looking me straight in the eye, and keeping our speeding vehicle on the road. "You wouldn't let Tim blame himself so I'll be damned if I let you."

After waking what seems like God himself, we finally get into county lockup and get Max out of his cell. Bringing a prisoner into interrogation in the middle of the night is never done, but when someone has the balls to kidnap an FBI agents child, all sense of decorum is off. A glance up at the clock and it feels like I got punched in the gut. _…20 hours. Fuck. _Finally, a very ragged looking Max is escorted into the interrogation room. …_he didn't look that bad earlier today. Damn, jail does not work wonders on him._

"I don't think you-" Spade starts, but the slamming of the door behind me cuts her off. The next second I step through the doorway, and into the small room with my prisoner.

"Ahhh… Agent Robbins. I was hoping it was you pulling me out of my dreams tonight." He says smoothly.

In all my years of service, of practicing restraint and understanding… of pushing my personal feelings to the back of my mind… all that never prepared me for what I feel right now. Every fiber of my being is urging me to fly across this room, take the man's neck between my hands and squeeze. Squeeze until I feel his breathing stop, his heartbeat fade, and watch as his soul slips from this world and go straight to hell. I am physically shaking from the rage coursing through me at this moment. I don't even realize when Teddy and Sharice step through the door after me, not trusting me to be alone with this man. After I don't know how long of staring this man dead in the eye, I force myself to take a breath. Slowly moving deeper into the room, I slide the seat out across from Max and sit.

Breaking eye contact for the first time since I entered, I turn and look at Teddy and Sharice, standing at the ready, exposing the taser burn to the prisoner. I look back just in time to see a very pleased look flash across O'Connor's face.

"Are you proud of her?" I ask in a voice I don't even recognize as my own. I've immersed myself entirely into the task at hand, which is getting something, anything, out of the scumbag in front of me. _…nervous swallowing. Jaw clenching. Slight nostril flare. …he wasn't expecting that._

"Who?" He quickly covers his displeasure.

"Your daughter." I reply.

He gives me a hard stare for a couple seconds, then a reluctant smile appears on his face. "So you figured it out, Agent Robbins. …Though it appears not in time. Sammy got to you, I see her mark on your neck." He says with pride. "Did she get your little runt too?" Now he crossed the line and my rage bubbles over beyond what I can contain. In a second I send the table dividing us to the side, grab the much bigger man by his neck and push him off his chair. He hits the floor with a thud and I straddle him, my hands tightening around his windpipe slowly.

"WHERE. IS. MY. DAUGHTER?" I ask, watching the man beneath me become redder and redder.

"Release me from custody and I'll give her to you." He replies, using what little oxygen he has. I feel a hand on my arm, trying to pull me up but I shove the person back, sending her to the floor.

"I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU." I scream at the man. The other woman tries to haul me off Max but again, with my rage and adrenaline pumping, I easy send her to the floor as well. "Do you hear me? I can kill you in ways not even you can imagine!" I continue to yell, my grip at the man's throat now lethal. His fingernails dig into my skin, blood running from crescent shaped cuts but I don't let up. I can literally see the life slip from his eyes, I can feel his body weaken beneath me but it does little to stem my rage.

"That's enough Robbins." Spade growls as the two women team up and grab me under both arms, forcibly pulling me off the man. He gasps for air, his hands coming up to his assaulted throat. The redness quickly fades as he recovers, all the while I fighting the women who are actually trying to help me.

"I'll kill him!" I yell, struggling against the two surprisingly strong women as they try to get me out of the room. "You hear me you fucker? You. Are. MINE!" Sharice is able to get the door open. "You. Your whole family. If I don't find my little girl, you are all dead! That I can promise you!" I shout just before being physically tossed from the room and door slammed behind me. I'm left out in the hall alone, yelling and pounding at the barricaded door that separates me from the devil himself. Tears flow freely from my eyes as I fight to get back into the room with the man I know is responsible for ruining my life. All the while, an image of Sofia crying out for me to save her fills my head.

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><p>AN2: Yes, I'm evil. I cut it off there. …Will Max talk? Or will Arizona have to go a different route? Any other bodies going to turn up in the wake of all this, or are all the players set? …Anyone figure out that Sam and Samantha were the same person? I know of only one person you kinda guessed it in their review. Hope you all continue to show your support. Oh… and reviews are awesome. Thanks!<p> 


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: This is AU. I do not own any of the characters from Grey's Anatomy. I just manipulate them to my will. Also, any line or phrase or setting that seems remotely familiar from any other show, movie or book, also not mine.

AN: Alright, another installment. Last we left Arizona, she nearly killed Max before being thrown from the interrogation room. Let's see if our favorite FBI Agent can weed out the bad guys and find her daughter before its too late. Enjoy!

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><p>Chapter 18<p>

I couldn't stay in there. I couldn't. I couldn't watch through a pane of glass as Teddy and Sharice interrogate Max like he was any other prisoner. Not when I felt his life about to slip away under my touch. Not when all I see when I look at him is my daughter. After trying to bust my way back into that interrogation room to finish the job I started, I was escorted out of lock up. And now I pace back and forth in front of the county jail. The cool Seattle night cuts me to the bone, but it's a pain I don't feel. The coldness of my body matches the coldness of my soul.

I don't know how long I've been pacing the same 10 foot strip back and forth before Teddy and Spade immerge from the building. My eyes flash to my partners first and she gives a solace shake of her head. …_no?_

"No what?" I spit. "No what? He didn't have anything to say?"

"Well… after he was able to speak again…" Spade sneers, not liking my little 'off the book' method of interrogation I just performed. "…he was pretty tight lipped."

"What the fuck does that mean?" I fire back, needing some sort of confrontation. Anything that will let me get my rage out, even if that means going toe to toe with a person who is trying to help me.

"Robbins." Teddy warns, placing a hand on my shoulder and pulling me away from the taller, and very strong detective. "She means that Max isn't going to tell us enough. So we need to find another way."

"Didn't one of you tell me that you implanted GPS trackers in your kids stuff?" Spade asks hopefully.

"I did but… I put them in her backpack and, and, and favorite pair of shoes. …And we don't wear shoes in the house." I say sliding down the side of the car and sitting on the ground. "I didn't… I didn't plan for her to be taken from home. …I always thought that IF Sofia was taken, she'd be away from home. She'd be at school, or at the playground. Not in the safety of her own home." Tears flow from my eyes as I bury my face into my knees.

"Alright… so let's wipe the slate clean." Teddy says as she starts to pace the same ten foot path that I did. "Who are we going after?"

"Samantha Bryne. …And I'd bet my life that Frankie is a part of this whole thing. Tim said that there were two there at the house. One bigger, one smaller. …And I don't think Johnnie has it in him to fight Tim." I state, trying to pull myself together again.

"Ok so… our leads are Samantha Bryne. Frankie O'Neal. And Johnnie O'Neal." Spade recaps, trying to align all our ducks. "What have we got on them?"

"Johnnie is clean. Beside the whole… shooting two dead cops in the forehead thing, he was a clean kid." Teddy answers. "Frankie… that's another story. He's done everything from drug running, to money laundering… murder. Assault. …And that's just the things we know about."

"Nice guy." Spade says sarcastically.

"Yeah, a real peach." I add, making the three of us laugh a little.

"And Sam?" Sharice continues.

"Samantha Bryne… she's kept a low profile, at least since Teddy and I have been after Max. She seemed… disjointed from the mob. Not really opposed to it but just… not interested. We don't know that much about her." I answer.

"She's apparently gone to nursing school… which could account for her absence during the past few years." Teddy adds. "But… why do all that. Why go to school and start a career like nursing… just to blow it all?" Silence falls upon the three of us as we look for an explanation.

"I don't know…" I whisper, my eyes glazing over as my mind returns to images of my daughter. "I don't know…" Without even thinking about it, my hands slip into my pocket and pull out a crumpled pack of cigarettes, and my silver lighter. Fire ignites, and the burn of nicotine coats my lungs. My eyes stay on the ground, away from pitying eyes. I can't stand the pity. I don't need anyone's pity. I need my daughter.

After a couple silent minutes, Teddy leaning against the car and Spade pacing back and forth, I say "Place a uniform on Cynthia Nealy."

"You think Johnnie is stupid enough to go back to his momma's?" Spade asks as she pulls out her phone.

"I think he loves her enough…" I answer. The next few minutes are spent with Spade setting up a surveillance detail outside of the O'Neal's mother's house. It's a long shot. Would it be stupid of the man to go back to his mother's house just hours after he was busted out of police custody? Yes. But I'm hoping that his need to watch out for and check up on the only parent that was there for him outweighs the need to stay out of the spotlight. And right now, it's pretty much my only link to the two brothers.

"Uniformed officers stationed just up the street." Sharice announces as she hangs up.

"Good." I reply, flicking the cigarette from my hand. Teddy offers me a hand and pulls me up. Both sets of eyes look at me, waiting for our next move. I'm grasping at straws right now and have no clue what to do. If anyone else was in the position I'm in now, if I was an one looker, I would never let me take charge of this investigation but I'll be damned if I'm just going to sit back and watch.

After stealing a glance at Teddy's watching and seeing its almost 2 am, I ask "Anyone feel like some deli?" Teddy grins, immediately jumping on to my train of thought while Sharice just shakes her head. If she hadn't lost her irish mob informant after our last visit, she definitely will this time. The three of us load into the cruiser and make our way to SoSea.

During the drive, I use Teddy's phone to call Tim and check in on Callie and Miguel. My brother says that Callie hasn't come downstairs once, and that Miguel has never left her arms. Her sobbing has faded, probably because she is so dehydrated she can't make any more tears, and now is just sitting in a vegetative state. There has been no phone call, no ransom demands. But that's not a surprise. We all know who is behind this, and what they want. Only… the possibility of what they want went out the window the second someone laid a finger on my daughter. There is no more giving up, there is no more 'forgetting' who Max O'Connor is. There is no way out for him or his daughter. They will end up in the darkest cell imaginable… at best. …_if I have my way, they'll both be paying the boatman a visit before all this is done._

Teddy parks the car a half a block away from the deli and we approach silently. Eyes scan the darkened street for anyone who may be watching us a little too closely. It's not deserted, not in this part of town. There is always something going on, and at this time of night, it's usually illegal. Sharice informed us on the way that Patty, her CI into the Irish mob, who just so happens not to like me …_I don't know why. I've been nothing but nice to the man. He's the one that came at me with a butcher knife…_ lives above his deli. So after one more look up and down the street, I send Teddy to cover around back while I try the apartment door just to the right of the deli entrance.

"Locked." I state, even though the inability for me to get the door open already proves that. Sharice tries the bell, but no one answers. Again, she presses the buzzer and we wait. A minute later, still no answer.

"Maybe he spent the night at a friend's." Spade says, stepping away from the building and looking up, trying to see if any lights are on in the apartment above. Not wanting to waste anymore time, I take the gun from the back on my pants and use the butt to smash through the window pane in the door.

"What?" I shrug when I catch the detective's eye. I slip my arm inside and quickly undo the lock, letting ourselves in. Spade takes my six as we scale the stairs. Half way up, my nose picks up something. Halting, I put a finger to my lips to signal silence, then tap my nose. Sharice takes a sniff then her eyes widen. There is just enough light for me to see her mouth the word 'gunpowder'. I nod in agreement, and she pulls out her own side arm. We climb the last few stairs silently, only the pounding of my heart meeting my ears. Once we reach the apartment level, we fan out. Spade goes right as I continue through the main part of the tiny living quarters.

"Clear." Spade calls out after clearing the single bedroom and bathroom. I move through the disgusting living room and take quiet steps into the kitchen. Just as I walk through the archway separating the two rooms, that sickly sweet iron smell hits my nose. Another step in, and I see the body of Patty spread out on the kitchen floor, silver revolver gripped loosely in his hand.

"In here." I exclaim, slipping my gun back into the back of my jeans. Sharice joins me in the kitchen, her eyes going wide at the sight of her CI with a bullet hole in the side of his head and a puddle of blood surrounding his body. She pulls out her phone to call in scene. Teddy soon joins us, having heard the all clear. My partner joins me as I survey the body.

"He shot himself?" She asks, taking in the gun and the wound.

"No." I answer flatly, my mind processing all the clues I have. "See the wound… no gunpowder residue. Which means he was shot from at least three feet."

"38." Teddy adds, looking over the gun placed in the victims hand. "Think its OUR 38?" She asks.

"I think someone wanted to throw us off track. …But this was a homicide." I state, standing back up to allow the blood to return to my lower extremities. "It doesn't match Sam's MO. No taser mark. No knife wound. But you can bet she is behind this, she might not have pulled the trigger but she called this hit."

"But why?" Teddy asks, getting a look out of both myself and Spade. "I mean… I know why. But why now? If Sam knew he was a leak, why did she until now to plug him up?"

"It's almost like cleaning house…" Spade drawls as she paces around the living room, looking for any clue or information we might find.

Teddy and I lock eyes, then turn to the black detective. "What?" I ask.

"Cleaning house. I've seen it happen a couple times when ownership is about to change. …The new boss goes around and plugs up anyone they deem a liability." Sharice tells us.

"So… Sam's taking over the family?" Teddy asks.

"That makes absolutely no sense…" I state, starting to pace back and forth the small and disgusting living room, giving CSI and the coroner room to move the body. "Max is… he's not old. He's not sick. He's obviously not having a change of heart and trying to switch sides." We remain in silence as the body bag is zipped up. As I watch Patty being rolled past I can't help but think that my one last lead has been neutralized. Then it clicks.

"Damn it…" I growl, getting the attention of my partners. "It's a power play. Sam's using this whole thing to take control. That's why she didn't warn Max. …She didn't go after Sean for revenge. She went after Sean because she was a leak… like Patty."

"This chick is vicious." Spade says as we walk back down the stairs and out into the cool Seattle night. It's almost 330 am now and Sofia has been gone for eight and a half hours. …_fifteen and a half hours left in the time frame. And I got nothing. No lead… no tails… no nothing. Fuck!_

Lighting another cigarette, I take a seat on the hood of Teddy's cruiser. My mind replays everything, every piece of information about the case. _…there's got to be something. Anything. _My eyes scan the scene before us. The street is no longer dark and quiet, not when several police cruisers pull up, lights flashing, along with a crime scene unit and coroners van. I search the faces of those looking on, trying to find a face that I recognize, someone… anyone that might lead me to Sam. To my daughter. The ringing of Teddy's phone pierces the low din of crime scene.

"ROBBINS!" She yells, making my head snap to attention. "We got a visual on Sam Bryne and Jonathan Nealy." The three of us jump into action, and I slip into the driver's side. Teddy slides into the passengers and Spade takes the back seat. As I fire up the engine and flick on the siren, Teddy adds "Three miles from here." She points the way as I speed us through the sleepy streets. We don't say it, but we all know what Sam is doing with Johnnie. He's a leak… and she needs to plug him up. …_turning on her own brother. Sam isn't just visious. She's psychotic. …And she was so close to Callie. Oh god. How could I have not seen this? _It's a race against time, and the speed of her knife. My adrenaline is pumping as I weave in and out of the light traffic, turning the sirens and lights off as we approach. Screeching to a halt, the three of us fly out of the car, guns draw. Spreading out, we move through the park, looking for our targets.

"There…" Teddy says just loud enough to reach my ears, but not enough to arouse suspicion. I look in the direction she is pointing and see a pair of figures, highlighted by the moonlight. One is the tall, lanky form of Johnnie, and the other is shorter. …_Sam._ As we approach quietly, keeping to the shadows, we hear yelling. The two argue and point, and shout. …_definitely some sibling quarreling._ Then my eyes pick up a glint of silver.

"FBI!" I yell, rushing forward, Teddy and Spade slow to react. Sam hesitates only a fraction of a second before plunging the knife deep into her brother's stomach. I watch in slow motion as the better of the two Nealy brothers folds in half and collapse. Sam withdraws the knife, turns and sends me an evil smile before taking off. I push myself as I fast as I can, running right past the victim and giving chase to the woman who took my daughter.

"Robbins! No!" Teddy yells after me, but I don't listen. I continue to run after the retreating form, weaving in and out of the wooded landscape, trying to keep eyes on my target. It's dark, and quiet but I keep pushing, my gun grasped tightly in my right hand.

My partner's voice filters through the night, this time I'm barely able to make it out "Arizona…." I am now entirely on my own, running through a dangerous part of town without ID, and without a source of communication. I bust through the wooden part of the park, and into the grassy area, Sam a good 50 feet ahead of me.

"Freeze!" I yell, my lungs burning. All I get is an eerie cackle in response as Sam takes a right out of the park and out of my line of sight. Without even a second thought, I plow my way to the end of the park and follow. Barely slowing down as I round the corner, my gun raised in front of me, I find an empty street and sidewalk before me. …_fuck!_ I slow to a jog, looking at each crevasse and down reach access alleyway. Down another ten feet, and the sound of footfalls echo down a tight access way between two store fronts.

"Sam!" I yell, taking a hard right and barreling down the close quarters, fighting my way through trash and crates.

"Give it up Robbins! You'll never get me!" She shouts. Only when she passes under the light of a security lamp do I see the outline of the woman. She passes a cross alleyway, and continues on in the pitch blackness beyond. I'm gaining on her, slowly. My shoes hitting the pavement only for a millisecond before driving off the cement and pushing myself forward. I'm not just chasing a perp, or a killer, I'm chasing after my daughter. The burn of my lungs and the sting of my cracked ribs don't register in my mind. My eyes just keep trained on the darkness in front of me, my ears tuned into Sam's treading. I don't see the car that comes from the right, down the cross street. I don't hear the reving of the engine. Only when the lights cascade on my body do I peek right. Acting on instincts, I push off the ground, instead of pushing myself forward, I go vertical. My body comes down hard on the windshield, and rolls up over the roof. With a thud, I land on the ground behind the now stopped car.

I have to force myself to take a breath, my world spinning as I try to focus on anything besides the overwhelming pain raging through my body. Somewhere in the hit, I lost my weapon and a shoe. I lie on the ground rolling from side to side as try to center myself enough to get up. But I can't.

"No." I cry out, realizing I lost Sam. "Sofia!" I yell again through ragged breath, tears streaming down my battered face. Then something from behind me tugs on my hoodie, forcing me flat on my back. A body straddles me, and I look up into the cold face of Sam herself. She looks down at me, her eyes pure evil, a slow smile spreading across her face. Before I can move, before I can act on the rage bubbling inside me, she pulls out a needle and plunges it deep into my neck.

"AH!" I yell, trying to fight the woman but my effort is almost pathetic. Then almost instantaneously, my mind starts to swim again.

The last thing I hear before the darkness consumes is Sam, millimeters from my ear, whispering "Let's have some fun." My body collapses, all pain leaving my soul as the abyss swallows me whole.

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><p>AN2: Dun dun dunnnnnnn….. (Dramatic music). So… Sam has Arizona all to herself. Good thing or bad thing? Will Teddy and Spade be able to help their favorite blonde, or is she on her own? What will happen if Callie finds out that her wife was also taken? This story is far from over. Hang in there, hopefully all will turn out alright in the end…<p> 


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: This is AU. I do not own any of the characters from Grey's Anatomy. I just manipulate them to my will. Also, any line or phrase or setting that seems remotely familiar from any other show, movie or book, also not mine.

AN: Alright, you guys begged enough so here is another chapter. Probably won't get another one up for a couple days so this will have to hold you, though I doubt it will make you feel any better. Enjoy!

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><p>Chapter 19<p>

…_fuck. My head. _The first sensation I feel is the pounding of my heart, each beat sending a wave of pain through my head. Stiffness in my entire body creates a slow burn that rages deep within me. I try to flex my arms but they are restrained. I try to move my legs but they too are tied down. My body is telling me to relax, to let the remnants of whatever is in my system run its course, but my mind is screaming at me to fight it. So I do. Forcing my eyes open, a light as bright as the sun scorches my corneas which makes me lock them shut again. I try to move my body, but I can't.

"Oh Robbins…." A faint and far off voice plays. "Time to wake up, baby." I still can't force myself to open my eyes, the pain still fresh in my mind. The next thing I feel is a hand being brought hard against my face, a loud slap echoing around whatever room I'm being held in.

"Ah…" I groan out, forcing my eyes open. The sting and burn of the slap bringing tears to my eyes but I hold them in. My eyes are open, but that doesn't mean they are focusing.

"There you are…" The voice says, too close for comfort. The hair on the back of my neck stands on end as my mind recalls where I last heard that voice. It was right before I blacked out.

"Sam." I whisper, malice dripping from that single word.

"Hey baby…" She says, and I can hear the cockiness in her voice. Blinking a couple more times, my vision starts to sharpen, the blurriness becoming less and less. After a couple more seconds, I'm able to make out the face only a foot away from mine. "Anyone ever tell you that you have the bluest eyes ever?" She asks, and I can feel her breath wash my face, making my stomach churn. If I had anything in there, it would have made a reappearance.

"Where am I?" I ask, looking beyond my captors shoulder. My eyes rake the room, a small ten by ten room. It's unfinished, with a cement floor and the wooden framing still exposed. The bright light that I first saw is actually a single, uncovered light bulb handing from the center of the room. It's cold, and damp. The smell of mold in the air tells me I'm probably in the basement of an older building. When I hear shuffling from behind me, I look over my shoulder and see the very imposing figure of Frankie O'Neal.

"Somewhere your friends will never find you…" Sam sneers, raking a lone finger down my jaw line. I try to pull back, to fight but I can't. I'm tied to a chair, ducktape around my body, holding me to the wooden furniture, my hands taped behind my back and my ankles taped to the legs of the chair. I pull at the restraints but they don't budge.

"Don't you just love duct tape?" Sam asks, just sitting back and enjoying my struggle. Knowing that all I am doing is working her up, I stop trying to fight. Leveling my cool blue eyes to the emerald green ones in front of me, we stare each other down.

"Where's my daughter?" I spit.

"She's safe… she's close. Don't worry." The woman says. Even with being held against my will, tied up, run over, drugged and tasered, for some reason I believe her when she says this. She may be a psychopath, murdering without cause and turning on her own blood… but it takes a certain level of evil to hurt a child. Taking… yes, that is horrible. But to inflict physical harm on a child… I don't think even she has it in her.

"You got me, Sam. Let her go." I command, even though I am in no position to negotiate.

"No… I don't think I will." Sam replies. She pulls out a small pocket knife, not the large one that are similar to the knife wounds of her victims, but I can see its razor sharp. "Sean told me that you were… very good. She said you stripped her down to her core after just a few minutes in her office. …I'd like to hear what you have to say about me."

"I don't think you'd like what I have to say." I tell her. I watch as Frankie shuffles around me, fully in view. My eyes scan down his body and see he has a walking cast on his leg after breaking the bone during our little stroll a few weeks ago. "Does your brother know what you did to Johnnie?" I ask, thinking that the bond the two brothers have has to be stronger than that with his half sister. His eyes widen and body stiffens, telling me he doesn't know anything about it.

"Didn't you wonder why Sam here had a little meeting in the park this morning?" I ask, my eyes locking with Frankie's. He looks between me and his sister sitting in front of me. As soon as the words are out of my mouth, cool steel is placed against my throat.

"Hush hush…" She says, pressing the knife harder against my jugular.

"Sammy, what is she talking about?" He asks, taking a step forward. She just brushes her brother off. …_I was right. He doesn't know. This may be my ticket out._

"Go take a walk, Frankie." She says, not looking away from me, the pressure of the knife increasing ever so slightly. When he doesn't move, she finally looks over her shoulder at the man and spits "NOW."

Just as he is about to step out the door, I call "He's dead." And before the last word leaves my mouth, a fist comes flying from the left and lands against my chin. The blow is so hard that it sends me and the chair I'm taped to to the floor.

"AH FUCK!" I groan, my entire body igniting as a fresh wave of pain rolls through me. Blood collects in my mouth and I spit it out, along with a tooth that the bitch knocked loose. …_oh yeah, you're definitely going to suffer a slow and painful death, bitch._ One hand takes hold of the fabric of my hoodie as another grabs my hair. I scream out as she pulls me back up in the sitting position. Blood drips down from my lip as my head hangs forward. …_god, when is this going to stop? …No, don't think like that Robbins. You need to find Sofia. Stay tough._

An evil laugh comes from Sam's throat as she pulls out a little digital camera, and grabs a newspaper. Propping it up against my lap, she steps back. "Smile for the camera baby." Sam drawls, the flash of the camera cranking my headache up a couple notches. After viewing it on the small screen, a smile crosses her face and then holds it up for me to see. It's pathetic looking. I look about three inches tall, my body bound and face a mess. Some scratches already scabbed over from the car fiasco, and then fresh blood running free.

"You are so photogenic, Arizona." She purrs. Slipping the camera back in her pocket, she returns to her knife and flicks it open. She steps forward, her face just inches from mine, yet still out of striking range. Her left hand finds a hold on the front of my hoodie, and the next second she is cutting it off my body, exposing the Marine Corps shirt I'm wearing underneath. The hoodie is used as a towel as she mops up the blood that is still dripping from my lips, then throws the material over her shoulder. The cool steel of the knife ghosts over the newly exposed skin, pushing up my left sleeve revealing the tattoo underneath.

"FBI and a Marine." She says, another sickly sweet smile on her face as she circles me. "Well well well… you're like a living, breathing, wet dream aren't you? …Tell me, can you fight?"

"Let me out of this chair and I'll show you how fast you can be seeing red guys with pitchforks." I spit, straining against the restraints.

"Not yet baby… we still have a lot of time to spend together." She purrs from behind me. My skin crawling as her breath washes over my neck. "Now… I got some business to take care of. So how about you just sit back and…" My body tenses as another needle finds its way into my neck. "…relax…." It takes seconds for the blackness to overcome me again, the last thing I see is Sam picking up the ripped hoodie and pulling the door to my prison open.

When my mind finally pushes me back towards consciousness, I open my eyes and find myself all alone in the room. After taking a moment to clear the fresh fog of drugs from my mind, I take a harder look at the cell I'm being kept in. It's dark, and damp. Nothing besides a couple bottles of water next to the door, and the chair I am strapped to. No window so I can't see if its day or night. My body clock is so screwed up right now after being tasered at the hospital, then spending all night tracking down Sofia. And adding to the count, being knocked out twice using who knows what. If I had to guess, I'd say it was late afternoon to early evening, bumping me right up to the golden 24 hour time frame. My body aches, and I remember the run in with the car. I try to flex each limb, but they are restrained. …_no broken bones, though. Scraps, bruises. _

I tug hard at the duct tape on my hands but it doesn't budge. "Fuck." I growl. Each breath burns as my ribs stretch and contract. …_maybe added a couple extra broken ribs._ "What am I going to do? …Think Robbins, think." I tell myself. My eyes frantically scan the room for anything that could be of use. A glint of silver catches my eyes. Using what little strength I have left, I scoot the chair forward little by little. Just the balls of my feet push the chair forward. It's a slow trip, crossing the five feet to my destination but as I get closer, a smile starts to cross my face. As I reach my destination, I see that the piece of silver is actually an exposed wall socket, with a screw sticking out of it.

"Jackpot." I whisper, then start twisting the chair around so I am backed up against the sharp object. It's a strain, reaching my already stretched and very sore arms back but I slowly start to saw at the duck tape. The screw digs into my skin when my reach slips, blood trickling down from my wrists and off my fingertips.

"Come on… come on…" I push myself. My body has never felt like this before, but I know that I need to get free if I have any chance of getting out of this prison. My ears pick up the faint padding of feet above me. I hear two, maybe three distinctly different people moving around and I hope that's all there is. No matter how good I am, I have no gun and no protection. Going up against multiple armed men isn't something I look forward to.

Finally, after minutes of working the silver tap across the exposed screw, the restraint breaks apart. Blood immediately flows to the tired limbs and I breathe a sigh of relief. Next I rip the restraints off my body, then finally my feet. Without thinking, I push myself off the chair and quickly fall face first onto the cement. My body is stiff as a rock after the incident with the car, and a little more beat up than I thought. I have to use the chair as an aid to right myself, taking a minute to just stand and let me get use to my weight on my feet again. One tentative step, then another. Each step gets slightly easier than the last.

"Jesus… she is dead. I'll fucking skin her alive." I promise myself. Slow steps to the door and I try the handle but it's locked. And not just locked with the door lock, but there are about four dead bolts on the door. …_I'm guessing I'm not the first person kept in here._ Then my eyes find a small door built into the side of the room. …_fuse box?_ Its only about three feet from the door and when I try to open it, it does. I'm met with a mess of a system, wires running all over the place, along with a bunch of unused wiring. …_definitely an old building._ My mind starts to race as I come up with a game plan. I'm not an electrical expert, but I had some training during boot camp.

"Think Arizona… come on…" I look around the room, taking in the supplies I have to work with. My brain runs through all the different cases I've been a part of, all the different implements that I've run into throughout my time in the FBI and the marines. Nothing seems to pop up. …_fuck. Come on. How hard can this be? _When my eyes land on the water bottle set just inside the room, a plan finally clicks and I spring into action.

Using one length of wiring, I strip the two ends with my teeth and tear the plastic coating off, exposing the wires underneath. Wrapping one end around the metal doorknob of the door, I carefully attach the free end to an exposed post in the fuse box, completing a circuit. Then I take one of the two bottles of water and empty it on the floor just behind the door so that whoever steps into the room next will step right into the puddle. Taking another length of wiring, I strip those two ends as well. Silently praying that I'm not about to roast myself, I stick one end of the wire into one of the wall outlets. A small spark jumps out, but I keep a hold on the covering and avoid getting zapped.

"Thank god." I groan. Repositioning the chair closer to the door, I grab hold of the free end of the wire and wait. Hopefully what will happen is that whoever comes to check on me next will open the door, keeping a hand on the doorknob as their foot steps into the puddle. Once they are in position, I will toss the exposed end of the wire I have hold of into the puddle, creating a complete circuit. The electricity will run from the wall outlet, through the wire, into the water, across the person's body, through the doorknob and back to the fuse box. Will it work? I don't know. Will it kill the person? I don't care. Just as long as it gives me an opening.

"Now I wait." I tell myself. And wait, I do. I don't know how regularly they come down to check on me, if they do at all. But I know that if they expect to keep me alive for any length of time, they will need to come down and atleast feed me some water.

As the time passes, I focus on what I can control, which is my breathing, my heart rate. I focus my mind on finding Sofia. My ears stay tuned in to those moving above me. Muffled shouting, an argument taking place. A door opening and closing a couple times as people come and go. My body aches as I sit in the stiff chair, a chill flooding my body. My FBI hoodie having been cut off, only the thin Marine Corps t-shirt providing warmth to my upper body. A battered hand comes up and assesses the damage to my face. Broken lip, and a busted cheek, along with some road rash from hitting the pavement after getting hit by the car. My tongue plays in the hole from the missing tooth that lays on the floor. It takes all the control I have not to go crazy with rage.

Finally, I hear a pair of feet move across the floor above me, and the sound of a door opening. Wooden stairs creak as the person steps down into the basement. He calls up to his buddies, cursing and laughing. When he is just outside the door, I take a deep breath and prepare for battle. I don't know if my plan is going to work. If it does, awesome. If not, I'm screwed. The deadbolts turn. One, then two, three, and finally the last. The door cracks open and in steps a person I've never seen before. His right hand holding the door knob, in the left my stolen Glock that was taken from me at the hospital. His eyes grow wide as he see's that the chair has moved, and duct tape no longer wraps my body.

"How you doing?" I ask, then flick the wire into the puddle he is standing in. I watch as his body tenses, untold number of volts coursing through his body. In a fraction of a second, between him appearing and me putting my escape plan into action, his fingers contract, pulling on the trigger. A shot rings out just as I tip off the chair. A bolt of pain runs down my right arm as the light above us flickers, then goes out. The body of the guy falls to the floor, the smell of burnt flesh meeting my nose. I can hear yelling upstairs, who ever that is on guard duty having heard the shot and then the power of the entire house shorting out.

"Fuck… didn't count on that." I growl, moving through the darkness. I yank the wire off the door knob, ruining the circuit and reclaim my gun from the man's possession. I don't know if he is alive or not but I don't care. Flying out of my prison cell, I am met with even more darkness. Gropping the walls, I move towards the stair case, gun gripped weakly in my right hand, blood pouring from the gunshot wound. I hear yelling and rustling through the open door way, darkness above only slight less than the darkness consuming the basement.

"Stay frosty girl." I tell myself, then climb the stair case. I muster every ounce of strength and energy I have left to get into the zone. Keeping the gun raised in front of me, I push through and up into the main floor. It's silent, and dark. …_bring it on you fuckers. You wanted me, now you got me._ The entrance to the basement comes out into the living room. It's a disaster, take out containers and bottles of beer everywhere. …_definitely a crash pad._ With only one shoe, I take silent steps through the room and toward the rest of the house. Sounds come from the further with the building and the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I'm in no position for a hand to hand altercation but I've got to clear the place. Sam said Sofia was close, and I'm not about to chance missing her.

"Damn it…" I whisper, my entire body shaking as the fear courses through me. Entering the dining room, I clear it, checking the corners and under the table. I reach for the phone on the wall, hoping to be able to reach out to someone, anyone. But there is no dial tone. Apparently my little stunt downstairs knocked out the whole house. Hanging up the receiver, I move through the dining room and into the kitchen. It's a decent size, with a small island in the center. As I continue to walk forward, my ears pick up movement a fraction of a second before someone pops out from around the refrigerator.

Ducking just in time, a man swings an axe around with crushing strength, lodging the sharp end deep within the metal of the ice box. I take the second he uses to try and yank his weapon free and look him up and down. At least six feet, and big. Not to mention he reeks of drugs. …_fuck. Why are they never short, weak guys? I'm always taking on The Rock. _The big guy forgets his weapon of choice and comes after me the next second. I'm slow to move, my body still recovering from the run in with a car so I make easy prey. He lifts me up like I weight ten pounds, then sends me crashing to the floor, my grip on the gun faultering and it goes clinking around on the linoleum floor. Before I can catch my breath, he is over me, his large hands wrapping tightly around my neck.

"Think you're a smart bitch, aye?" He growls. I reach out for something, anything to use against this monster of a man. The pressure within my face is growing as the seconds tick, his grip hard and steady. He just smiles down at me as my life begins to slip. Nothing is in reach of me, so I know I have to go toe to toe with this guy. I bring a hard fist to his bicep, buckling one of his arms enough for me to slip from his choke hold. Using a grappling move, I reach above him and wrap my left arm around his neck, pulling it tighter with my right. By now we are both sitting up, me on my ass and him on his knees and straddling my legs. I pull back hard and quick which makes him flip over me and land hard on his back. My grip around his neck never falters, and using our new position I am able to apply even more pressure at just the right spot. With a steadying breath, an added out of pressure, and just one small movement, a snap echos around the kitchen and his body falls limp. I collapse, utterly spent from the half minute battle on the kitchen floor, neither of us having an ounce of fight left within us. Only… I still have a heart beat.

"Jesus… I need a new job. …I'll fucking flip burgers if I have to." I gasp, then roll to my stomach and push myself up. With the gun back in my possession, I search the dead guy quickly, finding a cell phone. …_about fucking time I had a break. Please have a signal… please have power._ And it does. Sending up a silent prayer to the big man, I punch in a number I know by heart.

"**Altman."** My partner answers her phone and I almost break down right there.

"It's me." I whisper, hearing someone moving around upstairs.

"**Fucking Christ! Robbins! Where-"**

"Track this location. I'll leave the line open." I say, then leave the phone on the counter, the call still connected. I can hear her shouting into the phone, asking if I'm ok, if I have Sofia, if Sam is with me but I don't have time to answer. I need to clear the rest of the house. Something within me tells me my daughter is close. I don't know what it is, mother's intuition, or just my gut talking again, but I can feel her close. Taking the stairs two at a time, I reach the second story, my adrenaline pumping.

I clear one bedroom, and its bathroom, the move back out into the hallway. Another bedroom is clear after checking under the bed and in the closets. One last door remains upstairs and I can hear shuffling from within. I try the doorknob and find it locked. A shove with my left shoulder, my right arm now on fire as the pain of the bullet wound spreads, but it doesn't give.

"Fuck!" I yell, then take another step back and drive my shoulder into it again. The wood creaks, threatening to break. One more shove and it finally gives. I nearly fall to the floor as my body fights to regain my balance. Another man is in the room, waiting for me. He must have been sleeping because he is clad in only his stained briefs, an evil grin on his face.

"Well well well… the bitch escaped." He sneers, reaching for my back up weapon that is placed on the nightstand next to him.

"If you want to see tomorrow, I'd stay right where you are." I warn him, training my gun on his chest. His nasty crooked smile makes me gag. He's a fast mother fucker, and grabs the weapon in a split second. Luckily I'm an ace shot, and send a round right into wrist, the gun dropping to the floor.

"AH!" He yells, grabbing his nearly blown off extremity. Most people would stop, would realize that I'm not one to fuck with, but not this guy. Maybe its because he is doped up on drugs, drunk out of his mind, or just doesn't give a shit, but he comes barreling towards me. I send one round into his chest, followed quickly by another. He drops to the floor an inch from me, just like they do in the movies. Bending down, I pick up the weapon that usually rests at my ankle, and slip it into the back of my jeans, my primary remaining in my right hand. …_nobody touches my guns._

Sirens wail up and down the road outside. Peeking out the window, red and blue lights bounce across the sides of the houses surrounding the one I'm in now. …_now the cavalry arrives. Perfect timing._ Giving the dead asshole a kick for good measure, I walk back down the hallway and start to descend the stairs just as the SWAT team busts through the front door.

"FBI! HANDS IN THE AIR!" They yell as they storm the place. Four guys fly into the home, followed by my partner and Spade right behind her. The team see's me and most past me, knowing I'm no threat.

"Arizona…" Teddy breathes out, quickly holstering her weapon as SWAT clears the house. She approaches me slowly, not wanting to spook me. She reaches for my gun but I pull away from her, not giving up my sidearm after I just found it again.

"Arizona, are you ok?" Sharice asks, standing on my other side as the two women support my weight and lead me to the filthy couch in the living room.

"Sofia?" I ask, needing to know if anything has changed since I've been held captive. I watch as the two exchange a look, a look that makes my insides twist up. A look that Teddy and I usually share when we are about to break some bad news to a parent or a loved one.

"Tell me." I command, pulling on Teddy's vest to haul myself back up.

Teddy takes a small step forward, urging me to sit back down, then sits in front of me on the flimsy coffee table. "Arizona… It's Callie. She's… She's missing."

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><p>AN2: Hahahahah yes, you love it! Don't lie. More to be explained next chapter, but I want to hear from all of you first. How bad ass is Arizona, huh? Breaking out like she did. And Callie… did she go on her own accord, or was she physically taken like Arizona? Let me know and I might reward you with an update even sooner than planned. Thanks for all the awesome reviews, you guys rock!<p> 


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: This is AU. I do not own any of the characters from Grey's Anatomy. I just manipulate them to my will. Also, any line or phrase or setting that seems remotely familiar from any other show, movie or book, also not mine.

AN: So Arizona is free. But Sofia is still missing. Now Callie is gone. …What's going to happen? Read on to find out. Enjoy!

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><p>Chapter 20<p>

"GONE? What the fuck does that mean?" I yell, getting right up into my partners face.

"Arizona… please-" The detective tries to step in.

Bolting off the couch and stepping right into the taller woman's body, I stare her dead in the eye. "NO, Spade. Where the fuck is my wife?"

"We got this about six hours ago…" Teddy says, pulling a piece of paper out of her pocket. I snatch it from the blondes hand, then step away from the two women because if I don't distance myself I'm sure that my rage will finally boil over. Once out of striking distance, I look at the folded piece of paper. It's a regular piece of white printer paper, but in the middle is a copy of the picture Sam took of me. It's scary looking. My blonde hair hanging down in my face, which a large portion of it is stained red. The silver of the duct tape shines in the flash of the camera and my eyes look absolutely empty. Next to my picture is a picture of Sofia that I've never seen before. Her eyes are red from crying, and she's seated on a small kids bed, but other than that…she looks fine. Underneath the pictures is bold type.

**5 million. By 7pm. Tonight. Or the blonde goes first… then the brat.**

Sprawled underneath that one line is a phone number to call.

"Arizona…" Teddy says softly. "Someone paid a kid to deliver that to the house. It came with your FBI hoodie. It had your blood on it… Callie fell apart." My partner explains.

"House is clear." The SWAT team leader says, but I barely hear him.

"You didn't let her do this, did you?" I ask, turning to face the taller blonde. "Teddy, tell me you-"

"Of course I didn't. I told her that it was just a ploy to get her out by herself. We tried to track the number given but it's untraceable. Besides… Sam gave us only 7 hours to get 5 million dollars. How the hell do you get 5 million dollars together that quickly?" Teddy starts to rant. …_Sam can't know who Callie's father is, can she? _"I told her she wasn't going. The words I actually used was 'over my dead body'. It took Tim to restrain her. After that, she stormed up the stairs and slammed the door. When I went to check on her after you called us… she was gone."

"She couldn't have just disappeared-" I start, my mind racing.

"The window was open, and your safe was open." She cuts me off.

"Fuck." I breathe out and start to pace. "Fuck!" I yell a little louder, catching the attention of everyone in the room.

"How much do you keep in that safe, Robbins?" Spade asks, knowing she has to be the only reasonable person between the three of us right now. She's the most distant from my family, which allows her to look at all this from a disjointed perspective.

"Not a lot… five grand. The safe is mostly for our papers, birth certificates, wills… my back up weapons and a few other tools of mine." I state.

"What kind of tools?" Sharice continues to interrogate me.

"Illegal tools, ok?" I spit back. "Things that if you or I found on anyone else, we'd be putting the bracelets on them. Lock picks… brass knuckles… a couple untraceable cell phones…. a switch-"

"How many phones?" She cuts me off.

"Two." I answer.

"There was only one when I checked." Teddy adds. …_No. No no no Calliope you didn't._ I take a seat on the crappy sofa and hang my head. Not only is my daughter missing, but now my wife could be anywhere. At the mercy of a psychopath just because she thinks that she might be able to save her wife and her daughter. _…this is all my fault. Fuck!_ My eyes land on the wall straight across from me as my mind races. Then suddenly my train of thought switches gear. Racing out the front door, I run across the street and look at the building I was being held captive. The next second, I'm running back through the open front door, past two very confused women. I walk down the long hall of the first floor. …_something's off. Something doesn't add up._ It's largely unfurnished, the walls stained from smoke and god knows what else. An empty bookcase placed against a section, a few photos or who knows who.

"Ummm… Arizona, what's happening right now?" Teddy asks as she watches me pace back and forth the long hallway. I start to knock on far wall, trying to find any variation in the space behind the dry wall.

"There's about ten feet missing behind this wall…" I state vaguely as I continue to tap down the length of the hallway. When two very confused sets of eyes find me, I explain. "Looking from the outside of the house, there is about ten feet missing." All the way down the hallway, and I find no variance in the walls. My eyes land on the bookcase that is covering the only expanse of the wall I haven't checked.

"Help me with this." I state, and try to move the large and very heavy piece of furniture. The two women jump and take hold. Scooting it back, it doesn't reveal more empty wall space, but a door. A door with a lock on it.

"Fuck…" I breathe out, my heart rate sky rocketing. "She's here. I know she's here." I say as I grasp the doorknob and try to push my way through. The large pad lock on the door holds strong.

"We'll need to-" Sharice starts but I'm out of the hallway in a second. The next second I am back in front of the door with an axe in hand. The same axe that was used as a weapon to try and chop my head off.

"That'll work." Teddy says, then backs up. One hard strike of the axe and the lock breaks. My fingers are hardly working at this point, my adrenaline pumping hard and my body shaking. I know my daughter is in this room, I just know it. I can feel it. When I am finally able to get the broken lock cleared, and the metal latch open, the door flies open and I nearly fall into a dark room. Teddy and Sharice quickly follow. I'm handed a flashlight, and the shine of the torch illuminates a small ten by five space.

"Sofia?" I call out softly. "Sofia… baby girl, its mommy." I say, my voice cracking. A soft whimper greets my ears and I hold up a hand to halt the two women behind me. I motion for them to stay put as I continue into the room.

"Sofia… please baby. You're safe now. Mommy's here." I call again, tears streaming from my face. When feet carry me to the tiny kids bed, but its empty. Slowly dropping to my knees, I take a deep breath and grab the blanket, pulling it up so I can look under the bed. …Sofia's favorite hiding spot. My heart drops when I see her huddled under there, curled in a ball.

"Sofia." I cry.

"Mommy!" She yells, then reaches out for me. With one hand, I reach under the bed and pull her out from under the it and into my arms.

"Oh god… oh baby…" I cry, holding her tight against me. It feels like I'm finally able to take my first breath in over a day. "You're safe now, baby girl. I got you." Her tiny body shakes as she lets out her tears and I just hold her close, trying to soak up every ounce of fear and terror that she's been exposed to.

"It's ok, Sof. I got you baby girl." I run a hand through her hair, her face buried in the crook of my neck. Tears run freely from my own eyes, but a smile on my face. …_I got you. I got you._ Keeping hold of my daughter, I stand and carry her out of her prison cell. It's larger, and more comfortable than the one I was kept in just downstairs, but still… it was a cell. I keep her face covered as I move us out of the home and towards Teddy's cruiser. My partner and Spade follow, letting Crime Scene take care of cleaning the mess up.

"Arizona… you need to medical attention." Teddy says softly while running a hand through Sofia's frizzy brown hair.

"What time is it?" I ask as I slide into the back of the sedan, Sofia's strong little hands still clutching me tight. Her cries have stopped, but confusion and terror is still deep in her eyes.

"Almost 6 straight up and down." Spade answers.

"We got an hour to track Callie down." I say, holding a hand over Sofia's ears so she doesn't hear what is being said about her other mother.

"How-" Spade starts.

"Take us home, Teddy. If I know Calliope… she's hasn't disappeared entirely. I've taught her a few things." I reply. With that, the two women climb into the front of the cruiser and we leave the old section of housing in SoSea. Teddy turns the lights on, but keeps the sirens off as to not upset Sofia any more. During the entire drive, I hold my daughter close, whispering loving words into her ear and running a hand through her hair, something I've done since she was a baby when she was scared and couldn't sleep.

"Lady didn't have magic word, Mommy." Sofia says, her dark brown eyes that mirror my wife's looking straight into mine. "I fight, but they-"

"I know baby girl. I know. You were so brave. So strong. …I'm so proud of you." I reply, a fresh sheen of tears coating my eyes as I think about my four year old girl trying to fight off her two captors. "But you're safe now. Mommy isn't going to let anything happen to you ever again." Only now do I see the black wallet grasped in one of Sofia's hands. "What's that, baby girl?" I ask.

"Mommy's powers." She says, presenting the item in question in front of my face. I take it, and instantly know what it is. It's my badge. The one thing that differentiates the good guys from the bad guys. It's the one thing that makes me a superhero in my daughter's eyes. When she has bad dreams, its my badge that has the power to push away all the monsters from the corners of her bedroom.

"Where'd you get that?" I ask, trying to keep my tears from running.

"Johnnie gave me it. He said it keep me safe." Sofia answers. "I like Johnnie best. He give me emems." She says with a smile.

"Johnnie gave you M & M's? Wow… he must be nice." I reply. _…I knew Johnnie couldn't do something like this. He was one of the good guys. _I store away this piece of information for later, knowing that it will be of use some time. Sofia's eyes light up as she gets a good look at my battered face.

Her tiny hand comes up and touches the red marks. "Mommy hurt?" She asks, hurt returning to her eyes.

"No baby girl… Mommy's all better now." I answer honestly. "My boo boos will heal, but now that I have you, I'm all better." I place a kiss on her forehead and hug her tighter against me.

"Where's Momma?" She asks after about ten minutes of us being in the car. "I want Momma."

"I know baby girl. We are going to go find her. I promise. We'll see her again real soon." I tell my daughter, silently praying that I'm not lying to her. Now that Sofia is back, my mind is set on finding my wife. My eyes stay peeled on the time illuminated on the car's dash, each tick of a minute is a minute less that I have to find my wife before she does something completely stupid. Finally, Teddy pulls up infront of my home, a couple police cars parked there as well. I slip out of the back, Sofia clutched firmly at my hip. A smile finds my face as I see my twin running out of the house and down the walkway.

"Thank god." Tim breathes out as he wraps his strong arms around me and his niece who is still clinging to my shirt as I hold her. After a good few seconds, he pulls back and takes in the faces of two of his four favorite women. He does a cursory look over Sofia, noticing her tear streaked face but nothing else seemingly wrong. Then his eyes alight with fury as he see's my own face.

"Jesus… Zebra." He whispers, bringing a strong hand up to my face. "What-"

Batting his hand away, I cut him off. "I'm fine. Where's Miguel?"

"Upstairs in his room, sleeping." Tim says. He motions for me to hand over Sofia but I'm not ready to let go of my daughter yet. Rushing past the two uniforms stationed at my front door, I ignore the FBI agent sitting inside my living room and scale the stairs. Once I slip into my son's room, and see that he is passed out like a log, I let out a raged cry.

"What wrong, Mommy?" Sofia asks, her finger coming up to catch one of the tears. "Mowgli sleep."

"That's right baby, Mowgli's sleeping." I say softly and hug my daughter close as I slip back out of my son's room. Teddy, Sharice and Tim are on their way up the stairs as I head further down the hall and into Callie's and my bedroom.

"Can you sit on the bed and watch Mommy?" I ask Sofia, and when she nods I place her on the bed just as the three musketeers come into the room. Tim immediately takes Sofia in his arms and sits on the bed.

"What time is it?" I ask as I start rummaging through Callie's jewelry drawer.

"Uhhh… 620." Spade answers.

"We got forty minutes to find Callie. …That's if Sam is sticking with the 7 pm time frame." I reply.

"I have uniforms roaming the city for her… how are we suppose to find one woman in that amount of time?" Teddy says, backing down a bit when I turn my hard glare at her. For the first time, my partner takes in my entire physical appearance. "Arizona… you need medical attention."

"I'll get it after I find my wife." I say firmly. "Damn it!" I growl, then glance over at my daughter in my brother's lap and see those brown eyes watching me. "Sorry honey… Mommy's a little angry."

"Where shoe, Mommy?" Sofia asks, seeing that I'm missing one of my shoes.

"I ran so fast that it fell right off, baby girl." I say, sending the four year old a wink and she giggles. Not finding what I'm looking for in Callie's jewelry, which makes my heart flutter with hope, I turn back to my partner and say "Give me your phone."

The next five minutes I talk with one of the FBI's tech people, giving them the 24 character serial number to the GPS chip still placed in Callie's necklace. It's how I found Callie in Miami, and it's how I'm going to find her again. …_knew she wouldn't leave me with nothing to go on._ I change into a new shirt after running a wet rag over the wound on my right arm, then slip on my worn in leather jacket and pull on a new pair of shoes. Teddy and Sharice head downstairs to get a task force set up while I continue to get ready for our rescue mission.

"Zebra, you should let someone else-." Tim starts to tell me.

"She is MY wife. …I promised her I would find Sofia and I did. Now I am going to bring Calliope home safe as well." I spit, then grab my daughter from my brothers grasp. Looking into those brown eyes that mirror her mothers I say "Mommy has to go pick Momma up. Can you be a good girl from Uncle T?" Her bottom lip starts to quiver and I can see her fighting to keep the tears in. "How about you and Uncle T go watch Finding Nemo, and before the movie is over, Momma and I will be back home, ok?"

"No Mommy, don't leave me." She cries, grasping the front of my shirt.

"Sofia, I need you to be brave for me just a little while longer. Uncle T will keep you safe. Please… baby girl, Momma needs my help." I plead with the four year old. The ticking of the clock warns me that my time is growing thin, but I can't just abandon my daughter without talking to her. "Can you be a brave soldier for me?" She finally nods and I hand her back over to Tim.

"Robbins, we need to move!" Spade yells up the stairs.

"Keep my babies safe, Tim." I say softly after placing a kiss on his cheek.

"Don't be a hero, Arizona. Get Callie and come home in one piece." He tells me as he follows me down the stairs. One last kiss all around, and Teddy, Sharice and I load up into the undercover cruiser, speeding into the night. I'm handed a GPS device that has a blinking red dot, signaling Callie's position.

"Come on Teds, I know you can drive faster than this." I growl as my foot taps nervously at the floor of the car. She chuckles, then the engine groans as the agent pushes her baby to its limit. Sharice is in the back, barking orders to her fellow PD buddies.

"She's here." I exclaim as the cruiser pulls up outside of Seattle's largest mall. The red dot is positioned about a 100 yards in front of us, directing us into the inner sanctum of the shopping mall. Teddy and I step out of the car and Sharice moves into the drivers seat. She will be our eyes on the outside, and our in-between to stay in contact with the officers that are set up around the mall's perimeter. The three of us are mic'ed up so we will have constant communication since I still don't have my phone. Making sure that our weapons are covered, we jog through one of the many entrances.

"How accurate is that thing?" Teddy asks as we dodge in between and around masses of people.

"Ten feet." I state as my eyes dart between the screen in my hand and the scene in front of me. Since the whole Miami thing, I upgraded the tracker and now I'm thanking god I did. After running the length of one of the arms of the mall, we come upon the very large center of the building…. And there has to be hundreds of people milling around there.

"Damn it." I growl, trying to see through the masses but can't. "You stay down here; I'm going to go to the second level and try to get an eyes on." Teddy nods, and starts to push her way through the crowds as I make my way to the escalators. The mall is multiple stories, but the center of the building is open, allowing the second and third floors to look down on to the first.

"**Anything?"** Spade asks from the car outside.

"Nothing yet. …But she's here." I reply. Once on the second floor, I lean over the railing and start to survey the masses below. I look for anything… black hair, brown eyes, mega watt smile. Anything that catches my attention. But nothing does.

"**Tell me you got something, Robbins." **Teddy's nervous voice filters into my ear.

A glance at my watch tells me we only have about five minutes until the dead line. "Nothing. Fuck! Where is she?" Another peek at the GPS screen and I see the dot's position has changed. "She's on the move!"

"**Which way?" **Teddy asks.

"West." I spit, then take off at a run. "Out of the way. FBI!" I shout as I push past mall walkers and groups of teens moving at the rate of molasses. When the red dot slips pass the confines of the mall, I shout into the mic "She's out of the mall. West end, what's on that side?"

"**Parking garage."** Spade answers, then I hear her fire up her car and burn rubber.

"**Snatch and grab."** Teddy says quietly but not quiet enough, and I hear it.

"Don't you even fucking think it, Altman." I spit. I won't even think about the possibility that Sam is just luring Callie out to take her from me, even though my gut is telling that that is exactly what the psychopath is up to.

A minute after Callie's change in position, I am bursting through the second story doors of the mall, and into a the parking garage. A glance at the GPS screen and I see that I'm right on top of Callie. …_I don't see her._ I race up a flight of stairs and come out at the top of the parking deck. The security lamps light the entire structure, but I don't see my Latina. …_damn it._ Flying down the stairs, not sure if I touch a single one of them, I end up on the first floor next to my partner.

"Fan out… she has to be here." I say softly, grabbing the gun at my waist. Teddy heads left as I head right. We snake in and out of the lines of cars. Finally, a flash of black hair catches my attention.

"Teds, your three o'clock." I say quietly.

"**Copy that. I got eyes on."** Teddy confirms. I approach the Latina quietly from behind, unsure if anyone is watching or listening. I can see something raised up to her ear, probably the missing untraceable phone, and a gym bag gripped in her other hand. I'm still too far away to hear her, but when her body visibly stiffens, I take cover behind a vehicle. Peeking around a bumper, I see a dark sedan start to roll up next to my wife. …_fuck. What do I do?_

"**We taking the car?"** Teddy asks, needing to know our game plan.

I make a decision in a split second, if it was a decision at all. **"**Negative. Priority is Callie."

"**Copy that."** Teddy says. A deep breath and I push out from behind my cover, but keeping low. I'm still about fifty feet from my wife, but when I see a tinted window slowly lower, I know its go time.

"Calliope!" I shout, my voice echoing off the cement structure around us. "Get down!" I yell, running towards her and the car with my gun raised. Her eyes go wide with shock, then after a second's hesitation; the Latina finds the ground while the driver guns the cars engine. Seeing the area clear, Teddy and I unload our magazines into the retreating vehicle. Bullets ping off the metal siding, the back window shattering and a tail light being shot out. Teddy's voice crackles in my ear as she starts barking orders to Spade, who relays them to the LEOs positioned around the mall. …_hopefully they'll get em in the car chase._ Letting Teddy take care of the situation, I turn back to my wife.

"Calliope…" I say softly, approaching slowly. She lifts her head, her dark eyes finding mine. In a second, she is off the ground and wrapping her arms around me.

"Arizona…" She cries. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. …I'm so sorry." Callie pulls back, her hands cupping my face and places a hard kiss on my lips. I flinch and pull away from the kiss, my busted lip still very sore. "I'm so sorry. Those awful things I said… I never meant any of it. I-"

"I know, Calliope. …I know, baby." I say softly, placing a finger on her lips to stop her apologies. "What were you thinking… are you crazy? How could you-"

"Your sweatshirt. …it had your blood on it. It smelled like you. …It was still warm, Arizona. …She said that she would kill you. …She swore she would. Then she would… would… hurt Sofia..." Callie says, breaking down in my arms. Then, like her brain suddenly switches tracks, she shoots out of my arms. "She's dead. You killed our daughter. That… That WOMAN is going to kill Sofia and its all your fault. If I had just given her-" She starts to rant, the fire returning to her eyes.

"Sofia is safe." I say, cutting off my wife's rage. The look in Callie's eyes tell me she wants to believe it. "She is, Calliope. She's safe… she's at home. Watching Finding Nemo with Tim. They are safe, baby." I tell her, stepping closer to her. "Look at me, Calliope." I tell her, needing her to believe me. "Sofia and Miguel are safe. I promise."

"Really?" She asks, tears cascading down her beautiful face. "She's… she's…"

"She's fine. …A little dirty. Scared. But… she is fine." I assure her, then take her in my arms. At first she doesn't return my embrace, afraid that I might be lying to her. But when she feels how at ease I am, how relaxed I am, she falls apart. Her strong arms wrap around me, and I support her as she lets out tears of relief. When she pulls back, her lips find mine and gives me a soft, salty kiss. My ears hear the sound of a police car pulls up next to us and Teddy slips into the passenger's seat.

When I pull away from my wife, tears of relief flooding from my own eyes, I whisper softly. "Let's go home. …I could do with a family night." Callie lets out a soft laugh, pulls me back in for a more passionate kiss then nods. We slip into the back of the cruiser, our hands held tight as the streets of Seattle pass by us. I occasionally hear updates from the car chase happening else where in the city, but right now, all I'm focused on is getting home to my kids.

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><p>AN2: So… looks like the Robbins-Torres family is reunited, but Sam is still out there. Will there be a rematch to come? Is Sam done with her little tricks, or is there fun yet to be had? Stay tuned.<p> 


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: This is AU. I do not own any of the characters from Grey's Anatomy. I just manipulate them to my will. Also, any line or phrase or setting that seems remotely familiar from any other show, movie or book, also not mine.

AN: Alright, let's see how SSA Robbins recoups from her nasty run in with the psychopath Sam. Alittle down time… but the story definitely isn't over. Enjoy!

* * *

><p>Chapter 21<p>

"Arizona… can you please let someone look at you now?" Teddy asks me after I've spent an hour with my family. All of my family. Callie hasn't let Sofia out of her grasp once, and Miguel has been in my arms since the moment my wife and I returned home. All the stress and the tears have left our daughter exhausted, and she is now sleeping a bit fitfully in my wife's arms, both of us sitting back against our large family room couch.

I look up in the tired eyes of my partner. "Go get some sleep, Teds. Take Timmy with you. You two have had a rough couple days as well." I tell her.

"You sure?" She asks, even though I can feel the exhaustion rolling off her in waves. Spade hasn't gotten in touch with us yet, and I don't know if she is still chasing Sam or if she has taken a well deserved break as well.

"Positive. We got the uniforms at the door. We're good." I say. Teddy gives the sleeping babies a gentle kiss then heads for the door. My eyes land on those that match mine perfectly. Tim takes a couple steps into the room and kneels in front of me on the couch.

"Zebra… I'm so sorry-" He starts, his voice cracking with emotions.

"Tim. Don't." I tell him. "This wasn't your fault, ok? Sofia is safe, Miguel is safe. I'm back. And Callie is here. …That's all that matters now, ok?" He hesitates for a second, his eyes watching the little girl wrapped up in my wife's arms as Callie gently brushes back her hair.

"Yeah…" He breathes out.

"Go with Teddy, T-Man. We are fine here. She needs you." I say, placing a hand on his cheek. He nods, leans forward and gives me a kiss on my cheek, then doles out three more kisses before following his girlfriend out of the house. With this, its just the four of us left, with a handful of uniforms positioned around the house. Callie and I sit in silence for another hour, just reveling in the feeling of having our babies back in our arms. When the clock nears 930 pm, we know its time to move. Slowly standing and walking up the stairs, I put Miguel down while Callie situates Sofia in her bed. I join my wife in Sofia's room, and place her stuffed dog under her arm so she has something with her if she wakes up. With a kiss, I lead Callie out of her room by the hand, and towards our own bedroom.

Once inside the sanctity of our room, Callie reaches out, takes my hand and pulls me into a hug. "I love you." She whispers in my ear, then I feel her lips on my neck. When she pulls back I see a sheen across her eyes. "Those things I said-" I try to cut her off but she places a finger on my busted up lips to keep me silent.

"No, Arizona. I need to say this." She says, then takes a deep breath. "All those things I said… that I hated you… that I'd never forgive you. I was just so…so SO angry and scared and terrified… And you were there. So I lashed out. But you need to know that I love you, Arizona. I love you with my entire being, ok?" Her battle to contain her tears fails, and soon drops start to fall from her chocolate brown eyes. Her hands come up to cup my cheeks and she pulls me in for a kiss. It's soft, her not wanting to cause any further hurt, but its loving. My hands find her waist and I pull her in tighter to my sore body, deepening our kiss. Her tongue seeks permission and I gladly allow her entrance. When she traces over my teeth, she feels the hole and pulls back with a gasp.

"Arizona…" She breathes out, her eyes wide in shock and horror.

"It's ok, Calliope." I try to reassure her, not wanting to ruin the mood that was just getting set.

"You're missing a tooth, how is that ok?" She asks, pulling away from me.

"Because Sofia is home. Because you are here with me. …That's what makes it ok." I tell her, stepping forward and retaking her body with my hands. "I can get a new tooth. My cuts will heal. My ribs will mend. …But my heart would never have gotten over losing either of you. So… I'm ok, Calliope." I catch a falling tear with my lips, then move to recapture the Latina's, needing to feel her warmth and softness against me again.

When we part, Callie leads me into our ensuite bathroom. Her hands work softly at the shirt I'm wearing, pulling it gently over my battered head. Then makes quick work of the button and zipper of my jeans. She kneels down as she pulls the denim off my body. Callie pushes me back against the counter, telling me to hop up. With my legs dangling from the cool, marble surface, she unlaces my shoes and pulls those off as well, along with removing my pants completely. Clad in only my bra and panties, Callie stands between my parted legs and gives me another light kiss on the lips.

"Like where this is going…" I purr between pecks. Callie gives me her signature chuckle, then backs up. Reaching into the small linen closet of the bathroom, she pulls out a small medicine bag. Placing a couple silver instruments on the counter next to me, along with some antiseptic and bandages, she pulls out a pair of surgical gloves.

"Teddy was right, you need to be checked over." My wife tells me. Resigning to the fact that I do, in fact, need to get stitched up, I pull on a brave face and prepared to face the music. Starting from the top and working down, Callie's latex clad hands start to clean the scraps and cuts littered across my face.

"What happened?" She asks after rubbing antibacterial ointment over the angry red marks.

"Ummm… a run in with a car… and then, quickly after, a run in with the ground." I state vaguely, which gets a look out of my wife. "The car, it sort of… clipped me." Next she moves to the deep split in my lip, making me wince when the sting hits me. She urges my lips open, revealing the hole in my usually near perfect teeth.

"Lower left premolar…" She sighs. I can see her fight to keep in what she has to say. Next she moves to my neck, rubbing in some burn ointment on the taser burn still very present. Then her eyes find the two needle sticks. She doesn't ask, and I don't really want to tell her. The next five minutes are spent by my wife tending to the large amount of road rash, cuts, scrapes, and slices over my body. The jagged cuts at my wrists where the screw dug into my skin are wrapped with gauze. When Callie's eyes land on the very distinctive wound on my right arm, she bites her lip to keep the tears in.

"Lucky shot." I joke, trying to lighten the mood. A hiss slips from my lips when she uses a pair of tweezers to extract the bullet even though she numbed the area with local anesthesia, blood running freely from the reopened wound. A suture kit is then pulled out of her medicine bag and two stitches close up the hole. Then she performs a physical exam of my ribs, her fingers tracing over each individual bone and checking for bruising, cracks and fractures. The large discoloring from the 38 special I took in my Kevlar vest is slowing starting to fade away, but it still lends to the overall state of my condition.

After my exam, brown eyes dip to the floor. "Calliope… what's wrong?" I ask, not really sure if I want to know the real answer or not.

"I… That picture. Of you… Sofia…" She says, her eyes glancing up to catch mine. "You're always so strong, Arizona. So sure and confident of yourself… and then that note… I thought you were out there, looking for Sofia and then that note showed up. …I've never seen you so… weak. Vulnerable. I take it for granted how strong you are, Arizona. But when I saw that picture of you… It felt like I had lost you for good." A tear runs down her cheek and she wipes it away.

"I'm only strong because I have you, Calliope." I whisper, grabbing at her shirt and pulling her closer to me. "And you could never lose me. Not unless you really wanted me gone. …I'm not going to lie… Last night, after I left the house, I couldn't keep from thinking that you would leave me. …Take the kids and leave. I think that hurt more than anything I've ever felt." I watch as the Latina in front of me tries to find the words she is looking for. But none come.

"Sweetie, when you-" I start but a cry from down the hall cuts me off.

"Mommy!" Sofia yells, something having brought her out of her fitful sleep.

"I got her." Callie says. "You get changed." With a peck on the lips, my wife slips out of the bathroom and tends to our daughter. After a deep breath to steady my restless mind, I slip off the bathroom and clean up the mess of left over medical supplies. Giving myself a good once over in the mirror, I pull on some shorts and a baggy t-shirt and head to bed. It's been almost two days since I've slept and, with the stress and physical beating that came with those two days, I am fried.

A sigh leaves my throat as I crawl beneath the soft sheets and rest my head back on a pillow. If not for the fact of the bedroom door opening, I'm sure sleep would have welcomed me instantaneously. Before I know it, a tiny four year old barrels up from the foot of the bed and slips beneath the covers next to me. When Sofia bumps against my very sore body, a groan of pain leaves my lips.

"Careful mija. Mommy has some boo boos." Callie says softly as she goes about changing into her own pj's and crawling into bed next to us.

"I had bad dream." Sofia mumbles as she buries herself into my side even more, one arm clutching her stuffed dog fiercely.

"You did? I'm sorry baby girl." I whisper as my hand instinctively starts to brush back her hair. My eyes find the soft brown ones of my wife on the other side of Sofia. Callie scoots across the expanse of our bed so Sofia is nestled tightly between us, providing her with a barrier of protection against anything out there. Her arm reaches across our daughter and comes to rest on my stomach, her hand slipping under the material of my shirt. Within minutes, the soft, deep breathing washing against my chest tells me the tiny human nestled in the crook of my shoulder is fast asleep again. A breathing that is matched by the sound of Miguel sleeping soundly over the baby monitor on the nightstand.

"She's going to be ok." I say softly, more to myself than my wife whose eyes are wide open.

"Is she?" She asks doubtfully, placing a kiss on the shoulder of Sofia.

"Kids are resilient, Calliope. They aren't like you and me. They believe badges of magical powers and stuffed animals can conquer all bad dreams. …They recover faster and survive worse." I answer her. "She'll have a couple bad weeks, maybe a few months. …But soon, yesterday will fade from her memory. Only you and I, Tim… Teddy. …We will be the ones still haunted by what happened."

"I'd never take them away from you, Arizona." Callie finally says, picking up from where we left off in the bathroom. "It'd tear Sofia apart. …And who would teach Miguel how to pick up all the pretty girls?" She asks, making both of us chuckle. Sofia, already back in her dreams, clings to my shirt tighter as a small whimper falls from her lips. Callie leans over the tiny human between us and kisses me, then relaxes back into the mattress.

"Close your eyes, Arizona. …She'll be here when you wake up." She whispers softly. With one arm wrapped firmly around my daughter at my side, my other hand resting on top of my wife's at my stomach, and the sweet music of Miguel's baby snoring filling my ears, I drift off into the dark abyss.

The next few days are spent recuperating. Not just from my physical injuries, but from the emotional and psychological injuries my entire family received. Callie takes off of work, and Sofia is kept home from school. I make sure that Sofia gets a good once over by her pediatrician, who was nice enough to make a house call, as well as a child's therapist. She was kept for less than 24 hours, and from what she's told me, the only real interaction she had was with Johnnie who brought her candy and colored with her. Callie and I waited anxiously in the kitchen, Miguel babbling happily on my lap while Sofia talked and giggled and colored with the kind lady. But thankfully, after a long three hour wait, the woman informed Callie and myself that no other harm was placed upon our daughter other than the kidnapping itself.

I leave my family only for my dentist appointment, at which I arrange one of my teams, four fully trained and highly qualified FBI agents, to be placed at my home ON TOP of the four uniforms already watching us. Teddy keeps me filled in on the hunt for Sam Bryne, who somehow managed to slip Detective Spade and the rest of Seattle PD during her get away. The psychopath is still out there, and my gut is telling me she isn't going to give up. So for now, every uniformed officer has their eyes looking for the bitch while I just sit and cook.

Sunday night, five days after Sofia was brought home and I thwarted Sam's attempt to snatch Callie, I am moving about the kitchen and preparing dinner, talking on the phone with my partner.

"Look, Teds… Sam didn't fucking disappear into thin air." I spit.

"Arizona!" My wife snaps from the kitchen table where Sofia is happily coloring with crayons and Mowgli is chasing a brightly colored piece of plastic around his high chair tray.

"**We've got feelers out all over. If she steps out into the light of day, we'll know. But for now…"**

"Yeah yeah yeah… gotta wait her out." I sigh. "And still no activity on-"

"**No. Nothing."** Teddy answers.

"I would have thought that Frankie would want to see his little brother. He didn't look too happy at Sam when I told him she killed Johnnie. You'd think he'd want to see for his own eyes that he was alive." I say as I pull out the lasagna from the oven and turn the power off.

At the time, after I was drugged and grabbed, I thought Johnnie was dead. That's usually what happens when a large kitchen knife plunges through someone's soft filling. But luckily for Jonathon Nealy, Teddy and Sharice were on scene to call an ambulance immediately. Now he is sitting in the ICU, recovering. On the other side of the department is Sean Quinn, also still recovering from her brutal attack of her ex-lover. …_could have sworn one of them would have gotten a visitor by now. Either Frankie visiting Johnnie, or Sam coming to finish Sean off._

After a couple more minutes, I sign off with my partner and set out the plates for dinner. Before long, my two favorite girls are digging into some pasta pie while Miguel fights me about his puréed carrots.

"Can I go to school tomorrow?" Sofia asks, missing her friends and the structure that usually comes with a school day.

"Yes, Sofia. You are going back to school tomorrow." Callie answers. We've kept her home the rest of last week and all weekend, but on the therapists urging, we need to get her back into her usual routine soon. Which means kindergarten for her, as well as work for Callie.

"Mommy all better?" Sofia asks, her brown eyes staring up at me.

"I'm all better, baby girl." I answer with a wink. My body has definitely appreciated the last few days off. Callie had to prescribed me a muscle relaxant the first couple days, but I feel better and better every day. Still sore, and my arm pains me every time I move it too fast or try to lift too much, but that will heal like everything else.

"Mowgli go day care?" The four year old keeps asking. Callie and I catch each others gaze and exchange a look. …_yep, Sofia is definitely back._

"Yep, Momma is taking Mowgli with her to the hospital tomorrow morning." I reply, giving up on the carrots and taking a small amount of tomato sauce onto the baby spoon. Miguel readily opens his mouth and his bright blue eyes shine with approval.

After dinner, Callie and I float back into the normal school night routine with Sofia and Miguel. Tiny humans are bathed and changed. Dishes are cleaned and backpacks are packed. Clothes are set out for blurry morning eyes to grab, and kisses are given. Callie works her magic at getting the little guy down while I see to getting Sofia to bed.

"Is Wilson coming to school wif me?" My daughter asks as I tuck her in underneath her Disney Princess covers.

"Agent Wilson will be going to school with you, Sofia. But he's working, ok? He's not there to play with you and your friends." I tell her. My family's security detail has been reinstated, and will remain under protective security until such time as I see fit. And that won't come until I know Sam is either in jail… or dead. …_and I prefer that latter._

"But he like to play. …Wilson good at hide and seek." She says with a giggle. "He find me all time."

"Well… that's his job, baby girl. But you let him do what he has to do, ok?" She gives me a small nod, as she clutches her stuffed dog tightly. "Now… can you be a brave soldier for me and try to stay in your bed all night?" I ask. Callie and I have tried to put her to sleep in her bed since the whole incident, but every night she somehow manages to sneak back in between us. And we just don't have the heart to send her back to her own bed. But now, with the urging of Sofia's therapist, we are trying to get her back into her routine.

"Mommy?" She asks softly as I give her a kiss on her forehead.

"Yes baby?" I reply, brushing her hair back.

"I wuv you." She says sweetly. I have to bite my lip to keep a tear from falling from my eyes. I lean down again and receive a kiss from my daughter on the lips.

"I love you too, baby girl. Sleep tight…"I whisper, then start backing out of her room.

"No bed bugs bite." Sofia replies like always. She yawns and turns on her side, pulling her stuffed animal closer to her chest and brings a thumb up to her mouth. Making sure that a crack remains in the door, I slip across to Miguel's room and find my wife pacing back and forth with a very ornery baby.

"He's not going down." Callie sighs.

"Give him to me." I say softly as I step forward. My wife passes our son over to me and takes a seat in the rocking chair in the room. Brown eyes watch me as I move steadily back and forth, putting a gently sway in my body. Blue eyes stare up at me, his pudgy little hands coming up to grasp at tendrils of my blonde hair.

Ten minutes later, Callie and I are pulling back the covers of our own bed and sighing in relief of yet another day come and gone. My body is still sore, my mouth hurts, and my arm is on fire, but… I feel good. My mind wanders, as it has every time I have a free second, to the idea of Samantha Bryne still out there, which means she is still a threat to my family. I don't notice the gaze of my wife on me, nor do I feel the mattress shift as Callie scoots over to me. Only when a warm hand lies upon my stomach do I snap out of my internal ramblings.

"Relax, Arizona." She whispers, knowing exactly what it is I am thinking about.

"I can't, Calliope. …She's still out there." I reply, my eyes staying on the ceiling above us. Its only when Callie rolls on top of me, nestling her legs between mine and careful not to put any weight on my ribs, that I find the warm brown eyes that I love so much.

"But she's not in here." She tells me softly, then leans in for a kiss. "It's just you and me… and our amazingly beautiful babies down the hall." I pull her in for a deeper kiss, one that lets us both know that we want so much more. "…And the handful of police you have stationed around the block." She adds.

"Is that your way of telling me to be quiet?" I ask playfully. Callie answers with a playful nip on my neck, the side opposite of the taser burn that is fading, and then soothes to sting with a swipe of her tongue. My mind immediately flashes to the scene at the mall parking garage, that feeling when I thought I might loose Callie again. That someone might take her from me.

I gently force Callie to pull away from my neck, and my eyes stare straight in to hers. "Promise me you'll never do that again." I whisper.

Her brows furrow, and replies "Bite you? …I thought you liked that." A mischievous grin crosses her lips as she leans back in to reclaim my skin.

"No… not that. Promise me you'll never be so stupid again. You'll never willingly put yourself out like that, in danger." I explain. "I've already had you taken from me once… and then Sofia… I couldn't take loosing either of you again."

"Arizona…" She breathes out, and I feel her physically deflate on top of me "I… When I-"

"I know, Calliope. I know why you did it. And I'm not saying I wouldn't have done the same. But… you can't do that ever again. Ok? Our kids already have one mother who… who takes too many risks. Who gets shot at. Who runs after bad guys into the pitch black, HOPING that there isn't something on the other side. …They can't have two." I tell her.

"So you get to play G.I. Jane, and I don't?" She asks in a slightly sharp tone.

"No, Calliope. You don't." I tell her, and she rolls off me with a huff. _…there goes the mood. _She moves back to her side of the bed, and turns so she is facing away from me, trying to put as much space between us as possible.

After a brief fight with myself on whether to let the issue lie, or keep talking with my wife, I shimmy my sore body over to Callie's side and nestle my front right up against her back. When my arm is wrapped around her waist, and my hand finds hers, I place a kiss in the raven locks surrounding the Latina's head.

I try to find something to say, anything that will ease the mind of the fiery Latina but nothing comes to me. Is there a double standard in our relationship? Yes. There is. I'm the Marine, the FBI agent. I'm the one that takes on the risks. Not Callie. Fair or unfair, that's how it is. And that's what she signed up for… what we both signed up for. I haven't hidden this part of who I am once. From the very beginning, that first time I place myself between her and some impending danger, she knew what I was. I was the one that ran towards the gunfire, and not away. And there can only be one of us in this relationship… we have too much at risk for both of us to be lost.

After a couple of silent moments, Callie says "I can't promise that, Arizona." Those words make my heart sink, but I didn't expect any different. She's a mother, and she will protect her family just as fiercly as I will. The only advantage I have is a gun, and training.

"I know, Calliope. I know." I reply, then hug her tighter. When the soft snores that I became addicted to so many years ago fill the air, I place another kiss atop my wife's head and try to calm my mind. As I drift off, images of my family's future pass in front of my eyes. The holidays and celebrations, birthdays and graduations that have yet to happen. And I can only pray that I will be there to see every one of them, because if anyone is going to miss out on the future… it will be me, and not the beautiful woman wrapped in my arms.

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><p>AN2: So Sam is still out there, where do you think Arizona's next lead will come from? Will it take her right to the psychopath or are there still several moves of this chess game to be played out?<p> 


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: This is AU. I do not own any of the characters from Grey's Anatomy. I just manipulate them to my will. Also, any line or phrase or setting that seems remotely familiar from any other show, movie or book, also not mine.

AN: Ok so… another chapter. Last we left Arizona, she and her family were recovering but Sam was still out there. Will Arizona be able to hunt the woman down, or will more obstacles pop up instead. Read on to find out. Enjoy!

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><p>Chapter 22<p>

"The Director is expecting you." The young woman behind the secretary's desk announces as Teddy and I storm past and right to the big man's office. It's Monday morning, and I am officially back on the hunt of Sam Bryne. …_she's mine. _Our suit jackets billow out, revealing out holstered weapons, giving us an air of confidence.

A single knock on the heavy door and a voice calls out "Enter." Teddy and I step over the threshold and into the lion's den. The Director looks over his shoulder, his body facing out of the large window that overlooks the Seattle skyscape.

"Agent Robbins. Agent Altman. Thank you for coming." He says with an air of condescension. He, in fact, didn't ask us to come, Teddy and I were already on our way. My partner and I stand before his desk, not taking a position of submission by sitting.

"Director, Agent Altman and I-" I start.

"That's enough Agent Robbins." The man cuts me off. "Please, take a seat." He says, ushering us to the two leather armchairs in front of his desk as he takes a seat in his large and intimidating chair behind the desk. When he sees that we prefer to stand, I observe a slight flicker of disdain and anger flash across his face before he conceals it.

"You, Agent Robbins, have been relieved of duty on the Bryne – O'Connor case." He says offhandedly.

I catch Teddy's eye and we exchange a look of confusion. Knowing that this has to be some sort of mistake, I address the older gentleman and say "Uhhh… sir, I don't think I heard you-" but he cuts me off before I can finish my thought.

"You did, Robbins." The Director spits. "You are no longer on this case. Agent Altman will be taking over from here on out. The Bureau thinks its best that you take a… vacation… while it reviews your performance." His eyes lock on mine.

"You're investigating ME? …For what? !" I exclaim. …_a personal investigation? What the fuck is this about?_

"Deaths seem to collect around you like flies. And after your little jaunt through Miami five… six years ago and the multiple casualties that resulted from your kidnapping, its come to our attention that you may be… operating outside the purview of your position." He replies diplomatically.

"Sir, this is-" Teddy tries to step in.

The Director cuts her off with a strong tone. "Can it Agent Altman, unless you wish to join your supervisor in her forced absence." Teddy visibly shrinks from the man, and I don't blame her. Usually I would be a blubbering ball of mess by now but… now its game time, and he just kicked the quarterback off the field.

"Director… you need me on this case. No one else is inside that woman's head more than I am. This WHOLE thing is way past cutting Max loose, or even her taking over the family. She is pathological and KNOWS that she will not make it out of this. …So she is going to cause as much destruction as possible on her way out." I tell the man, praying that this is just some sick joke. Or maybe a form of tough love, but he can't actually be serious.

"Well it's a good thing we are the FBI, and have highly qualified individuals… other than yourself… that will be taking care of it." He says in a calm and easy tone. "I know that this may be difficult for you… the fact that it is so personal makes-"

"Personal? …Bryne kidnapped my daughter. She kidnapped me, drugged me… She went after my wife. This is MORE than personal." I yell at the man. The vein at the side of my neck is throbbing and I know I'm probably as red as a lobster by now.

"Which is why we can't have you involved anymore, Agent Robbins. I cannot trust that you will remain as impartial as you need to be when going after this woman. Anything you touch will be called into question by the defense attorney once Samantha Bryne is in custody." He explains. I let out a ragged laugh and start to pace back and forth in the man's office while Teddy takes a seat and starts to massage at her temples, neither of us liking this sudden change of circumstances.

"Sir… Sam will only come out of hiding to come after ME. I will find her." My eyes are pleading with the dark ones of my boss. The man that could make me or break me… and he usually errs on the side of breaking. But he HAS to know what is at stake. My family… my LIFE. …_how can he kick me off?_

Taking a different tact, he asks "You've had nearly a month to get this woman and have you come any closer to catching Bryne than when she caught YOU?"

"She'd be in custody in ONE fucking day if you would just trim a little fat off the constitution, Director." I spit back. Sometimes it sucks being on this side of the legal system, it'd be so much easier if I could just ignore the rights of citizens, but my bosses tend to frown on that.

I can tell the Director is trying very hard to stay calm with me, and after one more deep breath he asks "Say you found this woman, what would you do?"

Without thinking about it, without taking a second to filter my words I reply "Besides emptying my magazine into her body? I'd drown her and then bring her back just so I can kill that bitch again." My body is shaking, my hands are trembling and I'm pretty sure I'm foaming at the mouth.

The Director raises his eyebrows and says "See? …You cannot be trusted." He's right, of course he's right. If it was anyone else, I would tell them that they couldn't be a part of the investigation either but… this is different. It IS me. It is MY family. And I can't just take a backseat, even if Teddy is the one driving. I still need to be co-captain.

"So what the fuck am I suppose to do? Sit around with my thumb up my ass as Sam circles closer and closer to her target?" I spit, my voice full of contempt. I see Teddy flinch at my choice of words in front of our boss but I've had enough… and I don't care anymore.

"You will take some much needed time off. …Stay home. Watch TV. Play with your kids. I don't care what the fuck you do with your time Robbins, just don't spend it in MY building." He spits, his patience officially at its end. "Agent Altman will take lead on the case. It is BECAUSE you trained her that she is the next best person to have running point. It just can't be you this time, Robbins. It can't." His gaze lingers on me, searching me for any signs of betraying him. "Now… collect what you need from your office and then go home. Someone from Internal Affairs will be in contact with you to set up an interview. Dismissed." He waves Teddy and me off, then turns in his chair and flips open a file.

Teddy follows me to my office where I stuff a couple of files into my briefcase, then walks outside with me. The walls of the Bureau have ears, and the last thing we want to do is to get caught bad mouthing the big man and talking about disobeying his order. Only when we get to my undercover cruiser do we feel like we are free from the eyes and ears of Big Brother. Still, our eyes scan for anyone who may be watching us a little too closely.

"So… what now?" Teddy asks as I get down on all fours and start checking my car. …_wouldn't be surprised if the Director tagged my vehicle, especially because of Miami. _I've had to live with that for the past five years, comments about me and Miami. Yes, I got the girl. Yes, the bad guys got locked up. But somehow people don't see that. All they see is a woman who wrecked havoc around the city, using her training to work on the shadier side of the line.

"Now you find Sam." I state flatly.

"What about you?" She asks, leaning against the car and massaging at her head again. I don't have to ask to know that she hates this. Teddy is my partner, one of my best friends, and she hates that the Director has driven this nail between us. We work together. We aren't just partners, we are a single team. We aren't use to not leaning on each other.

"Don't worry about me, Teds. You know that its not in me to just roll over and take it. Keep your nose clean though and stay frosty. If I need to get something to you… we have a common friend." We take each other in a tight hug and wish the other luck. With that, I peel out of the parking lot and head to the only place I know to go.

An hour later the cool, crisp Seattle wind whips against my body as I sit on one of the benches in front of Seattle Grace Mercy West. My conversation with the Director is still racing through my mind, and as the cigarette smoke burns my lungs, it also fogs over his voice that is thrumming in my ears. The fire lights my body up, and it eases the trembling of my hands. I hate smoking… I hate it. I hate how I look, I hate how I smell because of it… I hate the after taste. But that burn… the rush as the nicotine hits my system. Sometimes it's the only thing I think I can control… so I do it. And right now, I need to control something. The silver lighter in my hand, adorned with the United States military seal, the same lighter my grandfather gave to my grandmother before her was deployed to Pearl Harbor, fits perfectly in my hand. The weight of it seems to ground me. That telltale click as I open the lid, the snap as I shut it… it soothes me.

One cigarette down and I'm still lost in my thoughts so I pull the last stick out of the pack, the one pack I bought when this entire shit storm drove me to smoking once more. Lighting up again, I inhale as deep as I can and feel my body fight me, screaming for clean air. My head hangs, my arms lay limply against my thighs as the storm front whips up the wind around me.

"Anyone ever tell you smoking kills?" A small smile itches at my face when I instantly recognize that voice. I'd recognize it anywhere. It's the last one I hear before I fall asleep at night, and the first one I want to greet my ears in the morning.

"What can I say… I'm a daredevil." I reply with a puff of smoke. My wife takes a seat up wind from me and crosses her arms tightly over her chest to try and contain some body heat. "How'd you know I was here?" I ask after a couple minutes.

"I saw you from the catwalk…" She says, taking the cigarette hanging loosely between two fingers, butts it out and tosses it on the ground. "You look… lost."

I let out a forced laugh. "Yeah… that's one word for it." I pull out the empty cigarette package, hoping I missed one. But when I find that it is indeed empty, a silent curse slips from my lips. Tossing the paper packaging, I pull out a piece of gum and place that in my mouth to get rid of the nasty after taste.

"What happened?" Callie asks, scooting closer to me and wrapping an arm around my waist.

"The Director kicked me off the case… MY case." I tell her, relaxing into the embrace of my wife.

"Since when has that stopped you?" Callie asks with a knowing smile. "You came after me even though it made you a fugitive."

"Yes… I came after YOU. Not the fuckers who held you… that was just gravy. I can't cross the Director this time. I'm being investigated and going against direct orders right now would spell the end of my career and no doubt land me in the brig." I reply. My hands rub at my face, but I pull back as the smell of nicotine makes its way into my nose.

"So if not you then… who?" She asks, subconsciously taking a look around like Sam is around the next corner, just waiting to jump out and snatch us. …_as far as I know, she very well could be._

"Teddy is taking over the man hunt." When a strong gust of wind makes both of us shiver, I stand and take Callie's hand. She loops her arm through mine and we walk into the sanctuary of the hospital. Needing something to cut the cold, we approach the coffee cart and place our order. "Cappuccino and I'll take a… latte, please." I say, handing over a bill to the man working the register. Once we have our drinks, my wife and I migrate to the catwalk and look down at the comings and goings of those below us.

"So…" Callie starts, taking a sip of her cappuccino and giving a satisfied sigh "…if Teddy is in charge, why can't you help her UNoffically. She wouldn't rat you out."

I think about what my wife just said for a second, relishing the feel of the burning liquid tear down my throat and then reply "This has to be a first… you telling me to defy orders. Head towards the gunfire instead of away. …Why's that?"

"Same reason you're here. …You know you're the one that will be able to find that bitch. I know it. I hate it… but I know it. And the sooner you get that woman the sooner you and I can sleep soundly at night. The sooner we will be able to breathe a sigh of relief and not have to worry about our babies' safety every second of every day." Callie answers. My eyes watch her face as she talks, and I can see she believes in every word. Sadness crosses her eyes at the right times, honesty… love. It's all there.

"And if I get thrown in the brig?" I ask, stepping a foot closer to my wife. I'm close enough to see her pupils dilate, hear her breath hitch, and see the pounding of her jugular increase. …_sexual arousal._

"I'll wait for you." She replies with a cocky grin, then closes the small distance between us and gives me a kiss. "But no jailhouse girlfriends for you missy. …I don't share my leatherneck with no one. I don't care what she did to end up in prison with you… you're mine."

"So possessive, Dr. Torres." I joke, loving how my wife can turn my mood instantly.

"What can I say, I want what I want." She says, pulling me back in for another kiss. The beeping of her pager pulls us apart. Her eyes roll and I growl in frustration since this isn't the first time our mood has been ruined by the blasted thing, but its one of the things I signed up for. Callie signed up for me being shot at and getting beat up from time to time. I signed up for the pager, so I'm not going to complain.

"Damn it… I gotta go." Callie says with a growl. Shoving the device back into the holster on her waistband, she turns back to me and places a peck on my lips. "You going to be ok?"

"Yeah babe, I'm good." I tell her. Brown eyes lock on to mine and I can tell she is doing her own version of what I do. She's reading me, profiling me. "Calliope… go. Someone needs you. I'm fine, really." Hearing that someone needs her in the hospital seems to snap her out of her trance.

One last peck on the cheeks, she says "Thanks for the coffee, sweetie." Then she is walking away from me, and I can't help but notice a little extra swag in her step just for my benefit. I face back over the side of the catwalk. …_she's right… not that I should be surprised. I just hope it doesn't come to bite me in the ass. _Taking a sip of my chilling Latte, I select a contact number and bring my phone up to my ear.

"**Spade."** The detective answers.

"Hey, it's Robbins. Look… I'm not part of the official FBI investigation anymore." I hear a sound of shock and continue. "Some bullshit about not being able to stay professional. Anyways… as I see it, you're still working on those cop killings, right?" I ask. The two cases are different, even though they are after the exact same person. So… technically I am off the FBI case, but I'm still on Sam's tail. …_always playing with fire, Robbins. Always got to push the line._

"**That's right." **Spade answers.

"What would you say to an extra set of hands and eyes on the case… pro-bono?" I ask with a smile on my face. I can just picture the Director's look once he finds out that I've gone around the back door again.

"**Seattle PD is stretched to its limits. Any additional man hours you could swing would be a huge benefit, I'm sure."** She replies diplomatically, not really sure what she just agreed to.

"Great. I'm at Seattle Grace Mercy West. Have a uniform send over that journal of Sean Quinn's we found in her home."

"**You think she might have spilt something?" **I can hear the difference in her surroundings as she moves from the bullpen, down a hallway and towards the evidence locker.

"Intentionally, no. But I think she may have written something she didn't know she wrote. Besides Sam's mother, Sean is… WAS the one closest to her before this whole thing." I tell the homicide detective. Scanning the faces of people walking past me, I'm on the look out for that one person. She was a nurse for weeks before her cover was blown, and I don't know how safe she would feel in attempting to return as a nurse. But my gut is telling me that the hospital is where I need to be right now.

"**And Altman?"**

"Agent Altman is continuing the FBI investigation during my leave. So… just avoid mentioning my name if you speak to her or anyone from the Brick." I tell her.

"**You're going behind your partner's back?"**

I let out a bark of laughter and say "Oh hell no. Teddy knows I'm still on the case. She just can't be told directly… just incase this whole thing gets out and gets messy. I need her to have some deniability. If I end up going down, I'm not taking her with me."

"**Oh, so you're just taking ME with you."** Spade says sarcastically.

"Hey, I wasn't told to stay away from the any other case. Just Teddy's. So… everyone is happy." I tell her.

"**You are so full of shit, Robbins." **Sharice laughs. **"Fine, I'll get that evidence sent to you ASAP. So, Team Ebony and Ivory is back in business?"** She asks, remembering how she and I were described by Cynthia Nealy.

"Oorah!" I reply sarcastically, the Marine cry of enthusiasm. With that we hang up and I finish my Latte, always vigilant with those around me. After a couple minutes, I start to think about all the loose ends Sam has left. …_Sean. Johnnie. Frankie has to be turning against her soon. What about Max? Wonder how he's going to react to the news that his darling daughter just cut him loose. _Then I start to think about how I'll be able to get any information out of those loose ends. …_Sean floating in and out of consciousness. Same with Johnnie. Frankie is in the wind. Max is secured. No threat of losing him, Sam doesn't want him so she wouldn't bust him out. _

Turning on my heel, I make my way to the Ortho ward, not really focusing on my trip since my feet take me there almost on instincts. Once at the appropriate floor, I walk past the nurse's station and enter the nurse's locker room.

"Hey, Ms. Robbins… you can't-" One of the nurses tries to stop me but I just blow her off. She rushes into the room after me. "You can't be back here. It's a restricted-"

"What locker did Sam Quinn have?" I ask, seeing that nothing distinguishes one locker from another.

"I… I don't-" She starts to stutter.

"Move." I cut her off then start opening one locker at a time. This locker room holds all the lockers for the nurses on the entire third floor so it's not just Callie's nurses, but two other departments. That's a lot of nurses… and therefore a lot of lockers. Most have locks on them, either combination or key locks, but some are free. The nurse rushes out of the room, no doubt to tattle on me to someone but I don't care. I search all the lock free lockers but find nothing that tells me that it was Sam's locker. Just then the door open again, and a fiery Latina flies through it.

"Arizona! What the hell-" My wife snaps at me. She always sticks up for her nurses. Callie says if the nurses are pissed off, they can make it hell. So naturally, if her wife is causing trouble, she will come out barking.

"Which one is her locker?" I ask. "Sam… that nurse. Which one?"

"I… We don't assign. They just take a free one where they can find it." Callie answers. "You can't just look through their stuff, isn't that like… illegal?"

Turning back to the Latina, I say "It's on hospital property… you're territory to be exact. So all I need is the word from you, and I can search to my hearts content."

"Arizona, you are NOT going to do this." She says. She's not talking about the searching, but about using our relationship, our marriage, to sway her responsibilities at work. It's like me pressuring her to reveal information about a patient, which would violate doctor-patient confidentiality. …_another obstacle to get in the way of finding the truth. _

"Fine, I'll go to the Chief." I say, speeding past her.

With a strong hand, she reaches out and grabs my arm, stopping me in my tracks. "What about the locks?" She asks, lowering her voice while eyeing the handful of nurses that have gathered to watch the exchange.

"I'll replace them." I state flatly. Then eye the nosey on-lookers. "Unless any of you know which locker belongs to this woman…" I pull out a piece of paper and reveal a picture of Samantha Bryne. "Anyone? Because anything found in an authorized search can be held against you. And I am NOT in the mood to play nice, people…" I threaten.

Finally one of the younger nurses, one that has some itchy and blood shot eyes, …_she must have some grass in her locker. Who brings drugs to a hospital?..._ steps forward and points to one of the lockers in the back corner. "That one. She used that one for the few weeks she was here."

"Thank you." I state, giving her a cursory smile. When I see that it's a combination lock a silent curse falls from my lips. "Can I borrow those?" I ask as I slip my hand into my wife's lab coat and pull out her stethoscope and a black marker. Placing the listening device against the back, the open pen held between my teeth, I slow turn the dial until a faint click is heard. Much to the dismay of the Latina, I write the corresponding number on the locker, then go searching for the next number. It takes about five minutes, scratching out numbers multiple times and starting over but finally I spin the dial to the last digit and the lock clicks open.

"The Chief is going to chew my ass about the permanent marker." Callie huffs when I hand back her stuff.

"He can bill me." I say with a wink then pull open metal door. My hopes fall when I see that its empty. I don't know what I was hoping for. A picture or some papers. Hell… maybe even a map with a big red dot that says 'I am here'. Anything. But… alas, I end up with nothing again. Just to make sure, I raise a hand and search the smaller, top section of the cubby. I'm surprised when my fingertips don't touch cool metal, but paper. Suddenly my hopes are high again. …_Sam is a psychopath, but she plans. If she left this, she meant for me to find it._ Callie peeks over my shoulder as I open the white printer paper that's folded in half.

Again, my hopes fall when I find nothing written on it. Just a lipstick print.

"Fucking bitch." I growl. She's taunting me and I know she is loving it. "Damn it." When I look back up, I see that an even bigger crowd has gathered within the locker room. Word has quickly spread through the hospital about my attack in Callie's office, quickly followed by the kidnapping of our daughter. Now they are just waiting for the next big thing to happen.

"Alright, shows over. Get back to your patients." Callie spits at her nurses. They all flinch and retreat quickly. "If you don't need me to give you permission to violate even more of my nurse's rights, I have work to do." The Latina says sharply then exits the room.

Not knowing what else to do at this moment, I make my way to ICU. After flashing my badge to the uniforms at the doors, I enter the hospital room that is occupied by Sean Quinn. The defense attorney is out of it right now, but her color is vastly better than the last time I saw her. The doctors say she will be able to leave within two weeks, but she still has a long and painful road ahead of her.

Crossing the ICU ward, I flash my badge again and step into the room that Johnnie O'Neal is resting in. His injury, though not as visibly brutal as Sean's, was just as severe. The large knife that Sam stuck into her brother cut through multiple organs, and its only thanks to the amazing surgeons that he is still alive. I try to place myself in the mindset of Sam, trying to feel what it would take for me to stick a knife into my own blood. I have a brother… a twin brother so naturally we are closer than regular siblings, and even more so than half siblings but still… there is a connection between people when you know you share DNA. …_she is one sick bitch. Dangerous. Blood-thirsty. How did anyone miss who she was… what she actually was? …how did her mother not know that her daughter was a killer. A stone cold killer._

Then, like a sign from god, my phone rings.

"Robbins." I answer.

"**Your girl, Altman, just called. Maura Walsh has been admitted into Seattle Pres. Apparently she got her ass stomped by someone. She's in bad shape."** Spade announces.

"I'm on my way." The next minute I am booking it out of ICU and down towards my car. As the lights and sirens allow me to travel the streets of Seattle easier, having to cross the entire city to get to the hospital at the other end, my mind keeps working. I can't help but think that it wasn't Max who sent Maura to the hospital in the first place, it was her daughter. She wasn't protecting her boyfriend, she was protecting her daughter. And if Sam can beat the crap out of her own mother, that ups the ante one more peg. I just hope I can get to Maura before Sam slips away even further.

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><p>AN2: Sam is leaving a trail of bodies in her wake, but is Arizona catching up? You think Maura will finally have enough of her daughter and rat her ass out, or will a mother's love protect all? Remember… Arizona is a mother as well… so it looks like it may be a fight between two Mama Bears. And Arizona being kicked off the case AND investigated? All these things are working against our favorite FBI agent, but will she finally get her man… or WOman in the end? Let me know. You guys are awesome!<p> 


	23. Chapter 23

Disclaimer: This is AU. I do not own any of the characters from Grey's Anatomy. I just manipulate them to my will. Also, any line or phrase or setting that seems remotely familiar from any other show, movie or book, also not mine.

AN: Yay, another chapter. So someone just sent Maura Walsh to the hospital. Who would that be? Will Arizona be able to use that to her advantage? Is the noose around Sam's neck tightening? Let's find out. Enjoy!

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><p>Chapter 23<p>

"Damn Robbins, what took you so long?" Spade asks as she marches out of the ER doors and comes to stand next to me in the shadows of the ambulance bay.

"Traffic was hell. Apparently, in this city, sirens mean stop in the center of the road so no one can pass you." I growl. "How's Walsh doing?"

"She's stable. Got her ass handed to her though." Sharice fills me in. "No one has spoken to her yet, Teddy and the rest of her posse are stationed outside the trauma room doors."

"I want to be the first one to question her. Now, it shouldn't be too hard for you to draw Teddy away from the door, I'm pretty sure she has figured out I'm working with you but it's the rest of the team. I got a couple brown-nosers working under me and they wouldn't think twice about turning my ass in." I tell the detective.

"How long do you think you'll need?" Spade asks me.

"As long as you can get me. I'm thinking Walsh has been protecting Sam from the very beginning, which means she will keep protecting her." I'm already trying to get a game plan put together on how to question Walsh, but this is new territory. I've never questioned an abused mother of a psychopathic woman who kills for sport and likes to use a knife.

"Even after Sam did a number on her?" The detective asks as she paces back and forth in front of me. I notice her hand resting on top of the Seattle PD badge clipped to her hip. She doesn't like what I'm doing, that I'm working the system to my will, and she's trying to protect her shield from me.

"It's not the first time…" I sigh. "And if we don't get Sam soon, it won't be the last. You bring the journal?"

"Yeah, here…" She pulls the journal out of the back of her pants, then heads off into the hospital to play cat and mouse with the feds waiting there. I count to fifty then follow, heading into the ER and straight to the busy trauma room.

"Ma'am, you can't-" A nurse yells after me at the ER desk. I just hold up my FBI badge and fly by.

It takes a lot of focus to keep a straight face when I see the older, frail woman sitting on the hospital gurney. Her face is black and blue, lips and eyes swollen. A doctor is currently examining her left arm, her right already having been braced. Blood is splattered down the front of her shirt, and her body looks absolutely beaten.

"Ms. Walsh?" I ask softly, using the name she checked in with. "Do you remember me?"

Her dead eyes look at me through swollen lids, and realization lights her face. "Ms. Ribbons." She says, trying to pull on a polite smile but the scabbed splits in her lips prevent it from happening.

Pulling out my badge, I flash it and say "Actually its Supervisory Special Agent Arizona Robbins. …FBI." I can see a flicker of fear cross her eyes, and then the hurt of being deceived. From her reaction I can tell that she didn't know I wasn't really who I said I was when we first met. When I walked into her hospital room at Seattle Grace Mercy West, she really thought I was a woman's right activist.

"Ma'am, did your daughter do this to you?" I ask softly. The woman subconsciously curls in on herself, protecting her already hurt and broken body.

"No. …No, Sammy didn't do this." She says in a high and tight voice.

"You're lying." I state flatly. "Your daughter is the one that has been beating you from the start. Not Max." Picking my words carefully, I see another shot of fear race across the older woman's eyes. Now she knows that I know EXACTLY who she is. She doesn't reply, just stares me down.

"I know who your boyfriend is, and I know what he does. …And you know that he is going to prison for a very very VERY long time." I stalk up on the woman, using her fear to my advantage. "But what I want to know is where your daughter is. Where is Samantha?"

"I don't know." She states, staring right at me. It doesn't take an expert profiler to know this woman is lying.

"That's another lie." I tell her. "Who did this to you?" I ask.

"I was mugged." She says, her empty eyes daring me to question her.

"Another lie." I tell her. "Your daughter beat you. With a fist… with a bat… I don't know what but you're lucky. Because you're still breathing. Because she didn't use her favorite weapon on you, did she? Sam didn't take a knife to you." I watch as she squirms in her seat. "You know what Samantha is, don't you? You know she's sick. That she's dangerous… and yet you let her out. You protect her…" I watch for any signs of surprise, but none come. …_she fucking knew._

"Do you know what she's done in the last month?" I ask and at this her eyes dart to mine, like she wasn't expecting it. "Has she told you of her… accomplishments?" Her eyes narrow a fraction of an inch, telling me she has no idea what I am talking about now.

"She murdered two Seattle PD officers. …Stuck a kitchen knife into their bodies. Time… after time… after time." I explain in a low voice, my words punctuated by my fist softly hitting the gurney right next to her, mimicking the actions of the stabbing.

"You're lying." Maura almost pleads, not wanting to believe the viciousness of her daughter.

"I wish I was…" I whisper. Rolling up the stool next to the chair and taking a seat so the woman is now looking down on me, I continue "I wish I was lying when I say that your daughter… took MY daughter. She ripped my little girl… my little, innocent, four year old who loves Finding Nemo, the color blue, and whose favorite meal of all time is macaroni and cheese with cut up hot dogs… She took my baby girl from her home." I add the little details so Walsh will think of Sofia as an actual little girl… not a nameless, faceless victim that she can easily sweep under the rug.

After letting Maura stew on my daughter for a couple seconds, I continue. "She went after my wife. The other mother to my two children. …Who is a… world class surgeon. My wife save's people everyday. She changes people's lives everyday. And YOUR daughter tried to abduct her as well. I'm sure you can imagine what she would have done with my wife if Sam was actually successful. …You're her mother. And look what she did to you. …What would she have done to a stranger? Broken her hands? Taken away her livelihood… taken a mother away from two babies?"

"Please stop…" Maura begs me, not able to hear any more.

Ignoring the woman because I can see she is almost about to break, I push her harder. "And she chose to fuck with me. …Shot, tasered, ran down, drugged, abducted, beaten, tortured, tied and threatened. …Your daughter did that to a Federal Agent. …Now, add beating the shit out of her ex-girlfriend, and sticking a knife to the hilt into her half brother's stomach… we are about halfway through."

"Stop! Stop it." The woman yells, the monitors hooked up to her start beeping like crazy as her body reacts to the images of what her daughter has done.

A nurse flies into the room and barks "You need to-" but I just hold up a hand, not breaking eye contact with Sam's mother.

"Where is she, Maura?" I ask. "You know Samantha is only going to cause more harm."

"When is she going to stop?" The woman asks, broken and weak. Her heart is ripping apart as the reality of her daughters brutality catches up with her.

"When I stop her." I answer. "And only then. …Samantha won't stop until she is forced to stop. And you know it." The mother just weeps, her mangled body shaking as sobs come from deep within her. "…She promised she wouldn't hit you again, didn't she? When we first met, she was the one that put you in the hospital. When you got out, she promised she wouldn't hurt you. And she didn't, for a long time she didn't. Because she was taking it out on someone else, she was out on the streets, killing people who have done nothing wrong." I keep piling on the guilt, knowing that Maura WILL break, and I just need to keep pushing. "She promised you she wouldn't lay a hand on you again… but here you are."

"I can't…" She cries out, shaking her head as she battles with herself.

"You can, Maura. You need to. Being a mother means knowing when to help your child, and when to let them find their own way. You've let your daughter do what she wants… but you need to help her now." I try a different tact. If the utter brutality of Sam isn't enough to get Maura to see the light, I will play on her mothering instincts. "You need to help her, because if you don't tell me where she is… she WILL be hunted without remorse. She won't make it out of this alive." At the last word, cloudy green eyes snap up to mine.

"Maura…" I place a hand on one of her battered ones and lower my voice. With as much sympathy and sincerity that I can muster, I say "…Tell me where she is, and I promise I will do EVERYTHING in my power to bring her in alive."

The beaten woman's eyes plead with mine as her mind battles. But finally, the need for her daughter to lives outweighs the want to keep Sam out of custody. "Max's hideout. …Since he was arrested, Sammy has been staying there with a couple guys."

A minute later I am hauling ass out of the hospital room and barreling towards the exit. As I pass the waiting room, I catch the eye of Spade who is pacing back and forth. With a nod of my head, she is on my tail. I don't know where Teddy is, or what Spade said to throw the FBI tail off of Walsh for so long, but I'm not questioning it.

"What she give you?" Spade asks as we clear the ER doors and quickly walk to the car.

"An address." I state. "Keys." The detective tosses the keys to me and slides into the passenger's seat. As I fire up the engine, I look into the dark eyes of the woman I've come to know as a good friend and a great partner. "I'm not calling this in." I tell her. "If you don't want to be a part of it, get out of the car and say that I stole your cruiser." Sharice just looks at me, trying to decide if I'm serious or not.

"You're burning daylight Ivory, let's go." The detective says with a smile. With that, I burn rubber out of the hospital parking lot and make my way towards the address. The Seattle skies have opened up and is now pelting the city with a steady coat of rain. During the drive, I keep battling with myself about whether I'm doing the right thing or the wrong thing. I know that Teddy will be talking to Maura soon, if she isn't already. And Maura will spill the address again, which means the FBI is right on my tail. I just hope that I get there first.

Knocking off the lights and sirens as we approach the address, I can feel Spade start to get wound up. Our minds are telling our body to get prepared for a fight, and now all our senses are on high alert. I pull up behind a large bunch of shrubs, trying to hide the car from sight as much as possible and slip out. Immediately pulling my gun from its holster, Spade does the same and we approach the quiet looking building. We are in SoSea, at the ragged end of town. It bumps right up against the water, and very little besides illegal business is done here nowadays.

From the outside, the structure seems non-descript. It matches nearly every other building on the block. Red brick façade, three stories high. Thick glass windows barred from the outside. These buildings act like forts. Few ways in, and few ways out. Spade and I do a quick perimeter sweep, checking for any door or window that can be used as an access point. At what I would consider the front door, I look to my partner and she nods. We both know that we are putting our asses on the line by not calling in for back up. But back up means waiting. And with Samantha Bryne, waiting isn't an option.

We make a soft entry, entering as quietly as possible. A smell of fuel hits my nose, but I push it away and continue deeper into the dark building. It's clear as soon as we get to the first room that this is some sort of crash pad or hide out. It's filthy. A couch, a couple chairs. A card table with an old TV is setup. The kitchen is littered with takeout boxes and beer bottles. The smell of old food and stale liquor invades my senses. The place is silent, like dead silent.

"There's no one here." Spade says quietly even though we haven't cleared the place, and I have to agree with her. There's a difference between someone trying to stay silent, and actual silence. This… this is silence. We are about to start scaling the staircase when a loud bang comes from the other side of the front door. Spade and I freeze, both side arms raised towards the source of the noise.

"Got me?" I ask and get a nod from the detective. I inch forward, my weapon at the ready. Another loud bang from behind the metal door and I freeze. I would never admit it, but I'm scared shitless right now. I've seen the evil in Sam's eyes, I've seen her handy work. And I do NOT want to be on her list of accomplishments. Taking a deep breath, I extend a hand and try to open the door. But it won't budge. Again I try it, nothing.

"Damn it…" I curse. "FUCK!" It's a trap. Sam knew that her mother would crack, in fact, I would bet she was counting on it. That she took pleasure in setting up her mommy dearest to experience both physical pain from her beating, and the emotional pain of having to fight herself about giving her daughter up.

"Locked, their all locked." Spade growls, going from door to door, window to window. I approach the door we entered from and try again. I ram my shoulder into it. But all it does is laugh at me. A strong kick, and still it doesn't budge. I send a round into the door mechanism, but still it holds strong. …_we're trapped._ Just when I thought it was bad, liquid is poured on the ground from the other side of the door. It seeps through the gap underneath the barrier and I jump back, not wanting it to seep into my boots.

"What's that?" Spade asks, stepping closer and kneeling down to get closer to the substance.

A very distinctive smell hits my nose and I reach out, pulling the detective away from it. "Get back!" I yell, and the next second the liquid bursts into flames. The other doors are also consumed by fire, effectively cutting off all our escape routes. Now I understand why I smelled gasoline when we first entered the building. It's been soaked so that as soon as a match was struck, the place would go up like a piece of kindling.

"Shit, we're trapped." Sharice yells. I can see terror in her eyes as her mind quickly comes up with images of being burned alive. Rather than succumbing to fear, I race around the lower level, avoiding the quickly growing flames while looking for anyway out. All the windows are barred from the outside, and the walls are brick. It would take a sledge hammer and a couple hours to break out of this prison. When my eyes land on the only other way out, I grab the terrified detective.

"Come on." I yell, pulling her after me. We take the stairs two at a time, the growing smoke becoming thicker and thicker as we climb.

"We'll suffocate!" Spade yells, already coughing.

"If we don't move, we'll burn to death. Now come on!" I yell back, my heart pumping and adrenaline racing through my body. …_I am NOT going to die today. I am NOT!_ Once on the second floor, I find the first bathroom and turn on the tap. Grabbing Spade, I pull her close and douse the front of her shirt in water while I cough as smoke invades my body.

"Hold it over your nose and mouth!" I yell over the sound of flames eating up the house around us. I do the same to my shirt, and my lungs breathe a slight sigh of relief. The smoke is burning my eyes, tears running freely from them. Spade keeps a hand on my shirt as I move out of the bathroom and keep looking for a way out. …_something, anything. Please!_ All windows are barred. Down one more hall, I see a sight of unfinished construction. A place where a staircase has been removed but not replaced.

"No! We can't!" Spade yells. "We go up one more floor and we'll surely suffocate." She says.

"There's access to the roof up there!" I yell back. We approach the torn down area and look up to the open space above us. "I'll boost you!" My lunges are burning and my throat is on fire, but I can't give up. …_I can't leave my family behind._ Spade doesn't argue, but instead places her foot on my hands. With a count of three, I push the woman up as much as I can, and its enough for her to get a hold on the floor above us. With some help from me, the detective pulls herself up onto the third floor.

"Jump!" Spade yells down at me. She's lying flat on the floor, an arm extended down for me to grab on to. …_ok maybe this wasn't the greatest plan._ I gauge the distance I need to jump up and take a couple steps back. A silent prayer gets sent up to whoever is listening and then I run and jump as hard as I can. My hand lands solidly in Sharice. Now I'm hanging a couple feet off the floor, my full weight carried by the woman above me.

"Pull yourself up!" Spade yells after trying to pull my dead weight up by herself. We both struggle, our muscles burning from the lack of oxygen in our system, but finally when I manage to get a hold of something with my other hand, it becomes easier to bring myself up. Once we both make it to the third floor, our bodies covered in sweat and soot and lungs about a minute away from giving out on us, we collapse next to each other.

"I can't… can't go on… I can't…" Spade gasps as her body desperately seeks oxygen. Her eyes start to flutter, telling me that smoke inhalation is about to over take her.

"Don't you fucking quit on me Spade." I yell at her, forcing myself to my feet. Up here, the smoke is even thicker, so much so that you can't see two feet in front of you. But I've been in buildings like this. Not this exact one, but I know that these flat tops always have a roof access. And that's my goal.

"Get up!" I shout over the roar of the flames now making quick work of the second story. The detective just lays there. "Fuck!" I growl, then pull the woman up by the front of her shirt. Once I get her sitting up, a hard slap brings her back to the real world.

"Move your ass, Spade." I command her, our eyes locking on each other. She nods, then gets a grip on my body. I help pull herself up, and she leans on me as we make our way through the deserted third story. At the other end of the hallway is another staircase. …_please be the roof access._ Entering the stairwell, I have to nearly carry the detective up the few stairs.

Pushing the metal door open, Spade and I collapse out into the open air. Cool Seattle rain beats down on us and our lungs burn as they take in sweet sweet oxygen. Smoke billows out of broken windows and the door we just came out of. The roof beneath us is hot, signaling the rising temperature of the building. Only now do I realize exactly how hot it was, and how close we were to the flames. But we aren't any safer where we are. Yes, we have oxygen, but that won't matter when the old and tired building succumbs to the stress of the flames and crumbles in on itself.

As our heads rest on the roof top, a loud cracking, like ice splitting, hits my ears. Spade and I catch each others eye, then look towards the part of the building the noise came from. It's the furthest corner from us, and we watch as it starts to sink.

"Oh fuck." I growl, then push myself up. Spade is still very groggy, her mind not working at 100%. I have to pull her up as the building starts to fall to pieces. In slow motion, the roof starts to break away, the structure of the hideout giving way. At the very lip of the roof, I look for a way out, a way down. No fire escape, nothing to climb down on. And no fire trucks in sight.

When another large section of roof breaks free, a tear leaves my eye as I think that this might actually be it. Then I look past the building underneath us. It's situated at the very edge of the docks. All of ten feet of concrete separates the building from water. …_we can jump that. We can totally jump that._ Another section of building crumbles, and I know our time is limited to seconds.

"We got to jump." I say to Spade. We arrived at this address all of ten minutes ago, but it feels like a lifetime. Minutes have turned into hours. Dark eyes lock on to mine and I can see the doubt racing through my mind is also crossing hers. A loud moan from the aged structure, a warning to us to act soon, and we both back away from the edge. We have maybe a ten foot runway, but it will have to do.

"One… two…" Spade counts, but when we feel the surface below us start to give, both of us move immediately, forgetting about the count. With a strong push off the very edge of the roof, we propel ourselves into open air.

The sound of 100 tons collapsing in on itself, of flames lapping up everything in its place, the sound of my heart pounding out of my chest all mix together in this moment. The patter of rain hitting my discolored face. The burn of monoxide still ripping through my lungs, and the wind whipping through my hair are the only sensations I feel. My body hits the water and the icy waves consume me. I don't hear a second splash, I don't feel the presence of anyone around me. In this moment, I am utterly alone. Just the darkness below me, and the darkness descending from above me.

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><p>AN2: Ohhh…. So tell me, is Arizona alive? Is Spade? Has Sam finally won?<p> 


	24. Chapter 24

Disclaimer: This is AU. I do not own any of the characters from Grey's Anatomy. I just manipulate them to my will. Also, any line or phrase or setting that seems remotely familiar from any other show, movie or book, also not mine.

AN: So I left you guys at a sticky spot. Does Arizona re-emerge or does she sink to the bottom of that waters? Does she get one step closer to Sam, or is the psychopath always outthinking our favorite FBI agent? Let's find out. …Enjoy!

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><p>Chapter 24<p>

The icy waters swallow me whole. Darkness pulls at the edges of my mind but I push it aside. Now is not the time to give in, to give up. It would be so much easier to succumb… but an image of Callie, Sofia, and Miguel crosses my eyes and I know that I have to fight. I have to fight for them. I can't leave them, not like this. So using what little I have left, I force my mind to focus. My clothes are heavy and weigh me down, the two weapons strapped to my body, along with the Kevlar vest tight on my torso provide more harm than good right now. My water logged boots seem to weight 100 pounds, but I fight. Kicking with all my strength, I push myself higher and higher. My lungs burn for oxygen. Heavy smoke inhalation followed by the intake of a large amount of water is wearing my body to the limit, but I fight. Just as it feels like I can't take anymore, my face breaks the water and sweet sweet air invades me.

Gasping, I fight to tread water. The building that I just leaped from is no longer standing, just large billows of smoke coming up from the rubble. A wail of several sirens can be heard off in the distance, and I can't help but laugh. …_cavalry always knows when to show up just in time._ Then my mind remembers I wasn't the only one in the building, I wasn't the only one dying on that roof, and I wasn't the only one that took a leap of faith.

"Spade?" I whisper, then whip around to the open waters behind me. "Spade!" I call out, but my raw throat decides to barely let me talk.

"Robbins." A faint voice calls to my right. The dark, angry Seattle sky has made midday look almost night time, and in the dark waters, the Detective nearly disappears.

"Spade?" I call out again as I swim in the direction.

"Here…" A voice as hoarse as mine says. Another few feet and I nearly run into the woman. She is barely able to keep her head above water. "Can't… swim…" She says as she does her best to stay afloat. Marine training kicking in, I grab her from behind, hooking one arm across her chest and grabbing under her arm, I start to back stroke towards the cement water break.

"Just breathe, Sharice. We're almost there…" I pant as my body is working over time to keep two exhausted bodies a float. The twenty feet or so to the concrete barrier seems like a mile, but finally my free hand hits the surface and clings to the tires tied there as a buffer. No ramp or ladder is in sight, seeing as no ships or boats dock anywhere near here, so Spade and I will have to haul ourselves out of the water directly.

"Come on, killer. I know you got some fight left in you…" I growl, helping Spade to the wall. When she finds a good grip, she lets go of me and starts to pull herself up. I stay below her, a hand on her backside to keep her steady. Once Spade has pulled herself up and onto solid ground, its my turn. My body weighs about four hundred pounds, my arms and legs feel like jello, and my lungs burn like they are on fire. My fingers are freezing, and my head is pounding. But after five grueling feet, I finally flop back onto hard cement. Rain falls down on our bodies, the air thick with smoke, soot and salt.

"Oh god…" I groan. "I'm alive. Thank you… Thank you god." My head rolls to the side and when I see the rise and fall of Spade's chest, I let out a sigh of relief. …_at least I didn't get her killed. Not for the lack of trying though. Fire, smoke, building collapse, and now drowning. …What a day._

Pushing myself up, I crawl over to the gasping detective and look down at her. "You alright?" I ask, her eyes going in and out of focus. "Huh? You alright?"

"Yeah…" She breathes out. "Yeah, I'll live."

"Alright." I groan, then give her a little love tap on her cheek. "Good girl." The next second the hard squeal of sirens alert me that it's time to cover my ass.

"Fuck! Robbins…" Teddy yells as she approaches, her gun raised. "What the hell!" Several other vehicles come to a screeching halt around the area, police officers and FBI agents working to secure the scene.

"Hey Teds. …Perfect timing like always." I tease my partner. Holding out a hand, asking help to get up, she takes it and hauls my ass off the ground.

"So how the hell you going to explain this one to the Director?" Teddy asks as a couple fire trucks pull up, and a couple hand full of guys start running around to assess the damage and put out the flames. The agent looks me up and down, then to the terrified detective that I'm trying to pull up off the ground… and at the collapsed and burning building just in front of us.

"What in god's name happened here?" She asks, obviously not able to connect a collapsed burning building to the two drenched law enforcement women standing before her.

Giving the blonde a clap on the shoulder, I answer "Trust me Teddy, you wouldn't believe me if I told you." Spade drapes an arm over my shoulder and I start to walk us over to where an ambulance just pulled up. Not five minutes ago, this block seemed empty. Now its teaming with emergency personnel, red and blue lights jumping through the air as the clouds continue to dump its contents down on us.

"Hey, you!" I call out to a passing EMT. An older woman stops in her tracks and looks at us, her eyes widening as she takes in the sight of me and the homicide detective barely walking. "Help me." The woman assists in my efforts to get Spade out of the rain and under shelter.

"I think she has smoke inhalation…" I tell the medical personal. After Spade is up on the ambulance bed, I watch as the EMT goes about checking her vitals and setting her up with an oxygen mask.

"Her O2 levels are dangerously low. I need to get her to the hospital." The woman finally concludes, then motions for her partner to get in the cab of the bus and get them moving. "You coming? You sound pretty bad yourself."

"No, just take her." I reply as I jump down out of the bus and close one door.

"Ma'am, your lungs are in bad shape. You need to let me take you to get some treatment." Concerned eyes plead with me to let her do her job. She's worked with law enforcement before, obviously, and knows that we can be real pains in the ass about stuff like this. …_and I'm no different._

"I'll be fine. It's nothing that the fresh Seattle air won't be able to clear." And with that, I shut the second door and pat it twice to let them know they are good to go. My gaze remains locked on the bright red vehicle as it pulls out of the crime scene and turns towards the rest of civilization.

"You going to tell me what the hell happened or what?" Teddy says from behind me. I can hear the impatience in her voice. She's used that tone many times before, when I start leaping five to ten steps ahead of everyone else when working on a case. She keeps up well enough, but there is a reason why I'm so good at my job, It's because I don't need the B and the C to get from A to D.

"What do you think happened?" I ask.

"I think you went all 'Rambo' and nearly got Detective Spade and yourself killed… again." The taller blonde says as she steps in front of me and gives me a hard glare. We both glance around as we see that a number of other FBI agents are taking notice of our little altercation. Teddy grabs the material of my soaked shirt and pulls me around the side of one of the fire trucks, away from those prying eyes and ears.

"Look Arizona. I get it, ok? I'm with you. I'm behind you. I support you… but you're not the only one in this anymore." She chastises me. "I get that you could give a rat's ass about your own safety, not that I understand it. I don't. You have a family, you have kids. But… you're not just messing with your own well being anymore. You could have gotten Spade killed."

My eyes look away from my partner, knowing that her words are right. "I told her I wasn't calling it in. It was her choice to-"

"NO, Arizona. It wasn't her choice." Teddy cuts me off. "Yes, you told her. But when has anyone ever told you no? …She sees you march around with the air of royalty on your back, shoving people aside and flaunting the power you have over people. She sees you doing what she dreams she could do. You really think she would miss out on seeing you in action? …Trust me, I know. I was her… for so long I was her." I shift my weight uncomfortable from foot to foot, not liking being in the spotlight at all right now.

"Arizona, you are great. You are… you were born to do this. You know it. I know it. Everyone knows it. You were born to put bad people away. But… you can't sacrifice others safety just to prove a point. How many times have you roped people into something that was dangerous, that was illegal? Hell… you did the EXACT same thing to me in Miami. You just showed up at my house, and made me an accessory." Teddy continues to berate me. Whenever I try to shift my gaze from her, she follows.

"Rules and protocol are put in place for EVERYONE. You can't just decide to do something your own way. …That's why we have the badges and THEY don't." Teddy yells as she points to the crumbled building. "You are just as dangerous as Bryne, Arizona. You may not use a knife, but you lead people into the fire. Normally I'm right behind you, covering your ass and going in guns blazing. …You know that! But you've gone too far Arizona. I know you are scared for your family but I CANNOT let you do this anymore. Which is why…" She takes a ragged breath, summoning her courage. "…If I so much as smell you on this case, I will have you locked up for interfering with a federal investigation." My eyes dart to those of my long time friend and study her face, looking for any signs that she is bluffing. But I see none. She is telling me the truth.

"I'm trying to put a murderer behind bars." I say in an icy tone.

"So am I." Teddy spits back at me. "Don't make me put two murderers behind bars. Don't make me take you away from your family." A shiver runs down my spine as I see the determination in the agent's eyes. Teddy steps back out from behind the truck, and yells "Agent Foster!" Ten seconds later a short, but well built man in a black suit, white shirt and black tie joins us.

"Please take Agent Robbins home. Confiscate her firearms. There should be four in her possession. Then have her show you the safe in the closet of her bedroom to make sure you have them all. Tell the uniforms at the door that she is to go NOWHERE without an escort." Teddy gives the man his orders.

"Teds…" I breathe out, my mind racing as I hear Teddy take command like this. "You can't-"

"I can." Altman cuts me off. "And I am. …It's for your own good, Arizona."

"What if Sam makes a house call. Am I supposed to fight off the psychopath with a skillet or a fucking couch pillow?" I spit out, my anger quickly building as I feel my partner turning on me.

"That is what the four uniform officers placed around your home are for. As well as the two agents watching your kids." Teddy replies. "If there is an issue… call 911. Trust in someone besides yourself, Arizona. …You aren't the only one who has put everything into finding this woman. Trust in the system. …Trust in me." With that she gives the other agent a nod, who then gestures for me to follow him to a cruiser.

As I am escorted away from the scene around us, Teddy calls after me "I'm doing this for your own good, Arizona."

"That's Special Agent Robbins to you, Agent Altman." I spit back before I slide into the back of a cruiser and have the door shut behind me. The city of Seattle passes by me as I sit in my soaked outfit, my hair matted to my head and the mixture of soot and saltwater mixing across my body. Teddy's words echo in my ears and guilt starts to pile up on me. …_she's right. I have no regard for anyone else. I've pulled Teddy down, I've pulled Spade down. I don't listen… to anyone. _

When the car pulls up outside my house, I am escorted past the two officers posted at my door and into my home. Agent Foster holds out his hand, seeking the firearms that his boss told him to confiscate. Unholstering the one at my hip, I clear the magazine and chamber, then hand it over. Next I clear the gun at my ankle, and give that one to him. They probably don't function properly anyways, not after their soak earlier today. He then follows me upstairs and watches as I kneel down in my closet and open my safe. Once he clears my two extra weapons, he gives the safe a good look for any other weapon. When his eyes land on the gun safe I keep on my night stand for my primary, he tells me to open it. I do, and he sees that it's empty.

"Are there any other firearms in this residence, Special Agent Robbins?" He asks. I can see the battle he is having with himself right now. Altman is his immediate superior, but I am Altman's superior.

Making it easy on the man, I reply "Yes, those are all the firearms in my possession." He gives me a hard look, using the training that I taught him to read me. …_like I don't know how to lie without getting caught. _But once he feels comfortable that I am telling the truth, he exits my wife's and my bedroom. Only when I hear the shutting of the front door and a passing word to the uniforms stationed out there do I strip out of my clothes. The Kevlar vest gets hung over the shower rail to dry while the clothes just get tossed in a heap in the bathtub. A look in the mirror makes my eyes go wide. My face is an ugly gray color. The soot of the smoke still billowing off the rubble has mixed with the water dripping from my hair and drying on my face.

Instead of just washing off, I strip down completely and hop in the shower. It takes two shampooings for me to get all the smoke and soot out of my hair, but when the waters finally run clean below me, I sit back against the back wall. Warm waters washes over my body and my muscles tense and relax. My mind wanders to the case. …Not my case anymore, but Teddy's. I know she hates the situation, having to go against her best friend and partner, but she is doing her job. And that's what she is supposed to do. I can't fault her for that. She's a straight shooter. She hates it when I go off the book, she hates having to cover my ass constantly. But I make her do it because I know she will. I know she will always be there behind me. …_and I've taken advantage of it all this time._

Then my mind lands on Detective Spade. It seems like a year ago that the black detective showed up at my door to arrest me for the murder of her two police officers. We've come a long ways since then. Now she's one of the few that I trust to have my back, but I never had hers. Teddy was right. Sharice saw me bend the rules to my will, she saw me play people time and time again. She witnessed me break the system, and never got caught. Spade covered my ass, yet I lead her right into the devils play pen. …_she could have died today. We both could have. …And I never even batted an eye. She's in the hospital, because of me._ Reaching up to the water faucet, I turn the dial to freezing. Ice cold waters rain down on me and my body tenses, my breath catches in my chest and it takes all my focus to breathe through the pain.

When I start to shake, I turn the shower off and step out into the bathroom. I stand in front of the mirror and take a good long look at myself. My eyes seem to have aged thirty years since this entire thing started. The angry red scar tissue on my side stands out beneath the nearly healed bruise from catching that 38 special. Some people take photos to document their life, some write about it and keep journals. But me… my body is my diary. Scars remind me of hard times, wrinkles remind me of the time that's past, ink reminds me of my commitment and beliefs, and when kisses are placed upon my flesh… I'm reminded that no matter how broken I may feel, no matter what nightmares I've lived through… there's always a tomorrow. There's always someone willing to catch me when I fall.

Shaking myself of my thoughts, I pull on a pair of sweats and my last FBI hoodie, the last one having been cut off my body by a very cocky psychopath. I still have a couple hours before Sofia gets released from school, and even longer until Callie's shift is over so I settle into the couch downstairs and pour over the case file one more time. Its not the official one, Teddy has that, but it has a copy of every piece of paper and photograph that has anything to do with Sam or Frankie or Johnnie… anyone involved in anyway which amounts to about three boxes being taken up. _…Just because I can't be in the field doesn't mean I can work the case from the back. …I know there is something here. I just need to find it._

After getting lost into the details of the case, the chiming of the clock in the living room brings me back to the real world. Quickly pulling on a pair of jeans, I exit the house and am greeted by two uniformed officers.

"Hey guys, I need an escort to my daughters school." I tell them. They both nod, then call in that two of the four officers will be moving. I feel naked being out in the world without a gun strapped to me somewhere. Yes, my hands are a weapon. I am a deadly machine, trained and fine tuned throughout the years by both the Marine Corps and the FBI… but still, there's something to be said to having a gun.

I'm leaning against the side of the car, the two cops watching up and down the road as little kids start to pile out of the school. Screams of joy and laughing greets my ears and I can't help but smile. The sound of pure innocence and happiness. There was a time where I would have hated this scene. That was the part of my life before I met Callie, before I fell head over heels in love with the one person I was suppose to protect with my life. Now I have three of souls that I would do anything to keep safe.

"Mommy!" My daughter's squeal of happiness hits me before I see her. But then a little brown haired, brown eyed four year old comes barreling through the mass of tiny humans, her pink princess backpack strapped to her body.

"Hey baby girl." I coo as my little girl flies into my arms and gets lifted off the ground. Her tiny arms wrap around my neck as she gives me a surprisingly strong hug.

"Agent Robbins." The agent who has been assigned to watching my daughter greets me.

"Agent Wilson." I reply, giving him a tight smile. By the look on his face I can tell that he has been filled in on the situation. His eyes dart down to my bare hip and a tight frown flashes across his lips for a second before the FBI mask is pulled back over his face.

"Hope Sofia hasn't been a trouble today." I say. Today is her first day back to school after her abduction.

"I good, Mommy." Sofia tells me.

"Miss Sofia has been no trouble at all." Wilson says, then gives her hand a little squeeze. "If you don't need me…" I give a shake of my head to tell him that he can go. With that, he tickles Sofia's cheek, gives a shallow bow, and then retreats to his own car. Besides the fact that Wilson is one of the best hand to hand combatants working underneath me, the reason I chose him to watch Sofia is because he is amazing with kids.

"Ready to go home, baby girl?" I ask the tiny human in my arms and I get a bright smile in return. After securing her in her car seat, I make my way back home with the police escort following me. When I pull up in front of the house, I see the Jeep parked in the driveway, telling me that Callie is home early. …_that's odd._ Just as I am walking with Sofia up the porch steps, a Latina comes flying out of the front door and wraps her arms around me.

"Oompf…" I try to breathe, my ribs still sore, but strong hands squeeze me tight. "Callie… what… what's happening right now?" I gasp as my wounded lungs strain for air. My wife pulls me back, tears in her eyes. "Calliope, what's wrong?" I ask, my tone immediately softening. Instead of answering me, she pulls me in and gives me a salty kiss. Sofia starts to tug on my jeans, not liking that her Momma is crying and her Mommy is so tense. Callie bends down and lifts the little girl up on her hip.

"Calliope… can you tell me why you're home already? Why you're crying?" I ask again. I hate being out of the loop about anything, especially when it comes to the well being of my family.

"Spade." She whispers that one word.

My heart immediately starts to pound, the worst case scenario. "Is she ok?"

"She's fine." Callie growls. "But she told me what happened… the fire, the collapse? …How you…" Her eyes dart to our daughter in her arms. The Latina turns and enters the house. Following, I watch as she puts Sofia down in the living room along with her baby brother who is playing in his playpen. Callie instructs Sofia to start on her homework then gestures for me to follow her into the kitchen.

As soon as I break the threshold of the other room, her lips are attached to mine, her hands lost in my hair and pulling me harder against her. The wind gets knocked out of me when my wife shoves me against the nearest wall and pins my body with hers.

"I tried to call you…" She cries softly, not wanting to alert the babies in the other room.

"I know baby, I know…" I cup her cheeks and try to calm her. Now I get why she is so freaked out. She saw Spade in the hospital, and heard what happened. And when an ambulance didn't bring me, she thought the worst. When she tried to call my cell, it didn't go through because my phone was ruined during my little swim in the river earlier today. …._I should have called her._

"I thought-" She starts but I cut her off before she can finish her sentence.

"I'm right here, Calliope." I say flatly, my eyes starring right into hers. "I'm right here, baby."

"I thought I sent you out to… I told you go. I told you to do what you needed to do… and then you almost…" Her tears come out harder and I pull her into the crook of my neck to try and muffle her sobs.

"It's not your fault, sweetie." I tell her. I know she is flashing back to earlier today when she told me to go against the Directors orders. It's the first time she has ever done that, and now she thinks she sent me to that building. She believes it's her fault that I was there, that I was in that blaze, on top of that roof because she told me to fight.

"Listen to me Calliope…" I wait until her eyes focus back onto mine and continue. "I am RIGHT here. I'm right here… you didn't do anything, ok? This isn't your fault. It was me… I was stupid. It is my fault, not yours." The sound of Teddy's harsh words make their way back into my head and I mentally cringe. The truth of my partners words finally hitting me full on. "Ok?" She nods faintly, then leans in and recaptures my lips. It grows from a light, loving kiss into something more frantic, like she is trying to force herself to feel that I am still with her.

"I need you, Arizona." She pleads, her lips pressed hard against mine. "Please… I need to know you're here with me. Please…" Callie pulls us off the wall and backs up against the kitchen counter.

"What about the kids?" I ask, my hands already roaming the body of my wife. We haven't been intimate for… a while. Definitely not since Sofia was abducted last week. So with the steady itch that has been growing slowly as time passes, and the near brush with death I had today, I am more than ready for a little action.

"They're fine." She breathes out. The sound of Finding Nemo starting up tells us that both Sofia and Miguel will be engaged in the TV for at least an hour and a half. My tongue invades her mouth and I swallow a moan that comes from deep within the Latina. I help her up onto the marble counter and come flush to her body, her legs wrapped around me.

"Are you ok?" Callie whispers in my ear as my lips start to work down her neck.

"I'm fine baby." I reassure her. Thankfully my wife wore a dress today so disrobing for this little kitchen adventure is not required. My right hand snakes up from her smooth calf, to her strong thigh and continues northward until I reach the apex of her legs. The heat is rolling off her center and it sets my mind ablaze.

"Please…" She growls having to bury her face into my neck. Recapturing her lips, I push aside the thin material of her panties and run a couple fingers up and down her slick heat, making her buck against my hand.

"Oh god…" The Latina gasps as two fingers push home, burying as deep as I can reach. Fingernails dig into my back as I thrust in and out until the muscles in my forearm start to burn. Ragged breathing and the occasional muffled moan is the only thing that is heard other than sounds of Marvin and Nemo bickering back and forth that come drifting in from the living room.

"Arizona…" Callie moans, warning me she's getting close. "…yes, baby. …I love you.." She breathes out. A second later her face is back into the crook of my neck as her muscles contract and spasm around my fingers. Legs wrap tighter around me as her whole body tenses and shakes. I hold her up as she recovers. Finally when she can hold her head up again, our eyes lock.

"I love you too, Calliope." I whisper, then lean in an share a soft kiss as I pull out of her. A slight whimper slips out and her legs fall from around me. Our foreheads rest against each others as Callie's breathing returns to normal and her heartbeat slows down.

"Momma!" Sofia calls from the other room, making Callie look up instinctively.

"I got her." I tell my wife, knowing that her legs probably aren't working fully yet.

"Thank you…" Callie breathes out, her brown eyes staring into my soul. I'm about to reply when a cry comes from the living room.

Sofia's squeal is quickly followed by "Mowgli bit my finger!"

"Maybe you should start dinner." I say with a wink, making Callie chuckle. One more kiss, and a quick cleaning of my hand, then I attend to my cannibalistic children. While my wife gets to work in the kitchen, I take baby duty, making sure the two don't kill each other or themselves. Sofia gets me to help her with her homework while I play with Miguel.

When Callie calls everyone to dinner, we sit down as a family… like there isn't a cold blooded killer just outside the four walls of our home. If anyone were looking in on us, they would see the perfect family. Two adults who love each other, and love their children even more. They would see a little girl prattling on and on about the mean boys at recess who like to stick their tongue out at her. She talks about the cooties, and the boo boos her friends have gotten. She talks about how her stuffed animal wants a piece of chicken too. …They would see her perfect innocence. And across the table from that little girl, they would see a baby boy sitting in his high chair, losing a battle against his food. More of his meal gets smeared around his face and over the top of his chair than into his mouth. They would hear the squeals of laughter and the warning cries of a baby who is getting testy.

If anyone was looking in, they would see a blonde woman who only has loving eyes for the woman across the table from her. They would see a vibrant Latina, laughing at her daughter and smiling at her son. They would see perfection. But if they saw inside my mind… they would see a storm brewing. Because I know there is something coming, something I've missed up until now, but its about to make itself known. And it will spell the end. But for who… I don't know. Not yet. So for tonight, I'll take what I have, which is my family. My perfect family.

AN2: Arizona's been beat down again, this time by someone who she thought was on her side. Is Teddy really doing what is best? Will Arizona listen to her partner, or will she keep fighting… even when she really shouldn't? Does the blonde agent know how to stop? Or will she keep pushing to what could spell the end of our favorite FBI agent? Stay tuned.


	25. Chapter 25

Disclaimer: This is AU. I do not own any of the characters from Grey's Anatomy. I just manipulate them to my will. Also, any line or phrase or setting that seems remotely familiar from any other show, movie or book, also not mine.

AN: Alright, another chapter is ready. Not as fast paced as the last one but it brings the whole story up to a rolling boil. We last left off with Arizona surviving the collapsed burning building, only to have her ass chewed out by her partner, followed by some hot loving from a smoking hot Ortho surgeon. Let's see what she is up to now. Enjoy!

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><p>Chapter 25<p>

Out of nowhere, my mind propels me into consciousness. I jump in the bed, my eyes flashing open in a minute. I was just in the middle of a dream, about what I don't know, but now I'm fully awake. …_why am I up? _The mumble of something unintelligible from behind me tells me Callie is still asleep, and I don't hear Miguel crying over the baby monitor, nor is Sofia calling for me. Calming my breathing, I tune my ears in to find the cause of my sudden alertness. Then I hear it, the sound of car doors slamming and engines firing up. Some muffled talking from just outside my home and then another car door slams. Glancing at the bedside clock I see it's just before 6 am.

"Shift change…" I growl. Turning onto my back, I stretch my tired and sore muscles, a moan slipping from my lips. It's Tuesday morning, and yesterday was a day from hell. Got kicked off the case by the Director, then nearly got killed in a fire… then in a building collapse. Then I REALLY got kicked off the case by my partner. The only thing that salvaged the day was last night. I spent the night with my family. A REAL night. I even put away the case file for the entire evening and just focused on my wife and my kids.

After trying to get back to sleep for a couple minutes, I decide that I'm up for good. Rolling out of bed, I tip toe around the room and head into the bathroom. It takes me a minute to remember that I actually don't have anything to do. Like… nothing. I've been forced to take a leave of absence since I am being investigated, which means I can't even work on any other case that may be littering my desk right now. My anger slowly builds again as I think about Sam, and how she's managed to be just one step ahead of my every move. Instead of hopping in the shower, I throw on my workout clothes and head downstairs. …_I need to run. And run hard._

"Morning Agent Robbins." The one of the on duty uniforms greets me as I step out the front door.

"Special Agent." I grumble, then step down the porch stairs.

"Uhh, ma'am!" The other officer calls, stopping me in my tracks. When I turn back to look at him he continues "Where are you going?"

"For a run." I answer flatly, giving them a look like 'are you writing a book or something'?

"Sorry ma'am, we can't allow you to do that." The first officer says. This pisses me off even more, so I turn and face them head on. I can see his façade crumbling but he keeps with it. "You're not allowed anywhere without an escort… and we really aren't prepared to go running." He explains, looking down at his uniform.

"So I'm a prisoner now?" I spit at the two police, even though I know it's not their call.

"Sorry, ma'am. But it's above our pay grade. You know-" He tries to cover his ass but I don't want to hear it.

"Yeah yeah." I growl, cutting them off. Succumbing to the fact that I won't get my usual four mile run in today, I head out to the back yard. It's fenced in with a security fence, and if I wanted to, I could easily scale it. But the words of my partner hit me again, so I decide that just this once I will play by the rules. I may not be able to run, but that doesn't mean I can't get a good sweat going. It doesn't take long for my heart to start pounding as I do wind sprints, jumping jacks, lunges, squats, and a whole host of other 'stationary' exercise moves. Pushups, sit ups, and even some pull ups using the lowest bough of the tree gives me a good strength training session as well as cardio. My lungs start to burn a lot sooner than usual, the smoke from yesterday still affecting my body. Once I'm sure I'm about to die, I decide to call it quits.

On my way back up to the bedroom, I make sure that I start the coffee maker so that when I come back downstairs I'll have a fresh pot waiting for me. Just like always, whenever I pass the kids bedrooms, I peek in to make sure they are doing alright. They still have about a half hour before we get them up, so they are still fast asleep. I strip off my shirt as I cross the threshold of the bedroom, and throw it in the laundry pile. Callie is starting to stir, but she fights it and tries to burrow herself deeper into the mattress.

Just as I am passing her side of the bed to enter the bathroom, a husky, sleep filled voice says "What have you been up to?" Turning on my heel, I walk back to the half asleep Latina, and sit on the edge of the mattress.

"I needed to work out." I say softly, leaning in to place a kiss on her lips. "Had some things on my mind."

"You're all sweaty." She growls, her hand running over the slick surface of my bare back. My sports bra is nearly saturated, and my nipples show clearly through the white fabric.

"I'll go take a shower." I tell her, then go to stand but a strong hand on my arm keeps me on the bed.

"I didn't say you being sweaty was a bad thing." She purrs, then pulls me down on top of her.

"You like it when I'm all gross like this?" I play, moving a toned leg in between her sheet covered center. Last night, after the kids were down, we continued where we left off in the kitchen. But I can never get enough of Callie. …There is no such thing as too much sex with this woman.

"Mmhmm…" She hums, then buries her nose in the crook of my neck. "You smell so good. 100% Arizona. And it turns me on like nothing else." Callie growls, then captures my lips in a searing kiss. I quickly work at removing the sheets separating us and bringing our bodies flush together. Luckily for me, Callie is still naked from last night's activities, so that means less time wasted.

"What time is it?" She asks as my lips move down her neck.

"We have a half hour." I answer, knowing that she is wondering how long we have before we go from two sexy women, to two moms. Without notice, Callie flips us so she is the one on top.

"Guess I better hurry up then…" She says, giving me a kiss then quickly leaning back to slide my shorts down my legs. My wife's tongue runs up and down my neck, collecting the salty drops that have collected there from my workout. A gasp falls from my lips when deft fingers find my aroused nub and starts to tease it.

"Say my name." She growls, then nips at the tender flesh above my pulse point.

"Fuck Calliope…" I breathe out, my mind no longer in this world but in heaven. Just when I think I'm close, two fingers slide into me, and crank up the intensity three fold. The surgeon's strong arms allow her to thrust in and out of me with amazing strength and I have to grip the flesh of her back to keep from being pushed right off the bed.

"Yes baby… oh god yes… right there… fuck me…" I groan in between pants. Needing more of her, I hook a leg around her waist, and she reaches deeper than ever. Our body's rock as one, my breath washing over her neck as I bury my face there to keep my moans of pleasure muffled.

"Calliope… I'm close." I warn her. The warmth starts to spread through my body, signaling the very near release I so desperately want right now. My wife knows exactly what to do to me to make me come undone, and knowing exactly when to do it. Just as the peak reaches, her fingers curl in just the right spot that sends me plunging into oblivion. My body tenses and shakes as the waves of pleasure rush through me. I whisper Callie's name right in her ear as I come, and it makes her moan with desire.

When my orgasm finally subsides, I collapse back into the mattress. My arms and legs feel like jello and my heart is racing faster than when I was working out. Dark eyes look down at me and a satisfied grin crosses her full lips, happy with her performance she just gave. She places slow, lazy kisses over my neck and chest while I struggle to get my breathing back under control.

"How was that for a work out?" She growls in between nipping at the flesh below my ear.

"Definitely more fun than running…" I reply, making both of us chuckle. My hands getting lost in her gorgeous black locks, I pull her back up so I can kiss her fully on the lips. Just as I'm about to rally so I can return the favor, warning cries come from the baby monitor on the night stand. We both growl, knowing that our sexy time is over, and we are now mothers again.

"I'll get him, you get your stinky butt in the shower." Callie tells me, then gives me another wet kiss before hopping off the bed and pulling on some clothes. The next second I'm alone in our room, nearly naked and completely satisfied.

After a quick shower and when I pull back on a pair of jeans and my USMC hoodie, I head downstairs to join the rest of my family. The sight that greets me makes me smile. Sofia, her eyes and 4 year old brain still very foggy from her sleep, is fighting to keep herself sitting up in the her seat at the table. Mowgli, now a whole 8 months old, is babbling happily while his little feet kick and kick from the high chair.

"Morning baby girl." I say softly as I place a kiss on her bed head, then try to tame it a little by combing a couple fingers through is. "How you sleep?"

"Mmmk." She answers sleepily which makes me laugh. …_definitely Calliope's daughter._

"And how did you sleep little man?" I coo as I pick Mowgli up. A squeal of joy shrieks through the house as he grasps my still damp hair and gives it a good yank. …_ow!_ Once I get my golden locks out of his tiny hand, I walk around the kitchen to my wife who is busily making some breakfast for the two kids.

"I got it, babe. You go get ready." I tell her after giving her a kiss.

"You need to get ready though. I can do this, you can't be late." She says, placing some scrambled eggs and toast with peanut butter in front of Sofia.

"Actually, Calliope… I'm not going to work." I tell her, remembering that I didn't actually have this conversation last night. What with her being so happy I was alive, our family time, and then Callie's and my 'special' time… my temporary forced leave never came up.

"You working from home today?" She asks, hurrying herself around the kitchen. I just shake my head. "Uhh… you taking a sick day? I mean, you should. If you're just half as bad as Spade sounded yesterday, you really should take a rest Arizona."

"No, I'm not taking a sick day. I'm… I'm on forced leave." I state, my eyes dropping to the ground.

"Excuse me?" She asks. "Why?"

"Well… the Director took me off the case… as I told you yesterday. But after what happened with Spade and I… Teddy told me if I interfered with her investigation again that she'd throw my ass in the brig." I tell her. Brown eyes stare at me, and I can almost feel her reading me like a book. Then she does that little eyebrow raise that tells me she knows there is more.

"And… I'm under investigation." I finally add.

"You're what?" She asks like she thought she heard it wrong.

"Internal Affairs is investigating me. …For misconduct or some shit like that. So I'm on leave until such time IA and the Director deems me ready for duty again, and that's if I pass. I have a feeling that that asshole would damn near bribe IA to get me out of the Bureau for good." I spit. I wait for Callie to say something, anything. To chew me out, or to start spitting out Spanish as she bad mouths the Director but it doesn't come. She takes a deep breath, kisses me on the cheek, then heads upstairs. …_that was weird. Definitely not the fiery Latina I married._

While Callie gets ready, I take over baby duty. It's a chore to get the two fed, especially in the morning. Miguel is a handful, full of energy and never sitting still long enough for me to get a spoon in his mouth. And Sofia, the one that CAN feed herself, is almost in a coma during the mornings. I have to poke her like every minute just to make sure she doesn't do a face plant into her plate of eggs. But when I deem both fed, the next round of the morning starts. …Getting dressed and ready for the day. Over the past year we have come up with a pretty efficient system and after some threatening of no dessert until Sofia is 18 years old, both babies are dressed and ready on time.

Once Callie is back downstairs, looking even more amazing than she did earlier this morning, she hurriedly packs up Mowgli bag, then grabs the baby and goes to head out. "Have a good day, mija." She says, quickly giving a kiss to Sofia, then turns to me. Again, I wait for her to say something… anything. But nothing. I get a kiss, then I kiss Miguel. With that, half of my world takes their leave to the hospital with an escort from Agent Booth, the agent assigned to watch Miguel during the day.

"You and Momma fighting?" Sofia asks, very adept about picking up on the tension surrounding her two mothers.

"No baby girl, Momma and I aren't fighting." I reassure her then look down and see her pink princess back pack strapped to her. "You ready for school, little lady?"

"Yes, ma'am." She replies, giving me a little salute as she snaps her body to attention.

"Alright, come on soldier. Let's get going." I tell her. With a police escort on our six, Sofia and I head towards her kindergarten. When Agent Wilson shows up, on time as always, I pass guardianship of my daughter over to the man. With a kiss and a love you, Sofia runs into the school, anxious to start another day with her friends.

Once I get back home, I pull out the case file again and immerse myself all over again. If I can't physically be on the case then I'll do my damnedest to work the back door route. I go over statements, interviews, look at the graphic pictures, anything and everything I have to work with. I even steal the white erase board from Callie's office upstairs and use it as my own, personal, murder board. Hours slowly tick by as I lay out the case over the white expanse. Different color lines connect people to people, colors distinguishing what kind of connection they have. Red seems to be the primary of all the colors, signifying a connection of hurt, murder, or abduction. Sam seems to have red lines running to everyone else I have up on the board. The only one who doesn't have a red line attached to the psychopath is Frankie, her half brother. …_she hasn't turned on him yet, at least as far as we know. But she stabbed his brother. That's got to shake their relationship. _Taking a chance, I pull out my phone and hit the speed dial.

"**Altman."** My estranged partner answers.

"Hey Teds, its me." I say, trying to make my voice sound a lot lighter than how I feel.

"**This had better be a social call."** She warns me.

"Sure, sure… umm, I was just wondering if you've gotten any lead on-" I start but get cut off.

"**Damn it, Arizona. What did I say? Butt. The. Fuck. Out. …Or I'll lock your ass up."** Teddy spits and I can hear the gentle clicking of a door being shut as she moves out of a public space into a more private setting.

"Look, I'm not getting in the way, alright? I'm home. I'm going to stay home. No shooting guns out of peoples hands. No jumping off the roofs of burning and collapsing buildings. No 'Rambo-ing' going on, alright?" I tell her. "Just… I need to do something. I can't sit on my hands and wait for the Director and IA to pull my credentials. And I can't do nothing while Sam is circling closer and closer."

When Teddy doesn't shoot me down, I continue "Have you gotten any eyes on on Frankie?"

"**No." **She answers shortly.

"Have whoever look into a connection between Frankie and Sam." I tell her, reverting back to my position as boss. "There has to be something more than just their father. …Sam has turned on EVERY other person besides him. There has to be more to their relationship. A past, or… some dark dark secret."

"**Fine."** Teddy huffs, just trying to get me to shut up and hang up.

"Also… I've looked over the property records of Max's hideout, and the house that Sofia and I were kept in, as well as Cynthia Nealy's house… they all belong to the same person." I pause, waiting for some sort of reply but all I hear is the tapping of some computer keys and rustling of papers.

"**Martin Knox."** Teddy finally says. "**I'll get a background on him, see if he and Max were ever buddies."**

"And pull every other piece of property he has. Maybe Sam or Frankie are using one of them as another safe house. It's not much to go on-"

"**But its better than knocking on every door in Seattle."** Teddy finishes for me and I can almost hear the hope return to her voice. **"Way to go, boss."** She adds softly before the line goes dark.

I get back to studying the case, morning turning into midday. The two officers posted out front talk back and forth, their radios crackling to life every now and then, provide a good background noise. When the few texts I send to my wife don't get returned, it shoots down my idea about going to meet her for lunch. She's either in surgery, or purposely NOT answering me. At just after 12 pm, a knocking on the door stirs me from my reading of Sean Quinn's medical record. I instinctively reach for my sidearm, but its not there. …_fuck._

When I look through the frosted glass paned of the front door, I see a dark face standing on the other side.

"Spade!" I exclaim as I swing the door open. The detective gives me a bright smile. "How you feeling?" I ask as I step forward and share a hug with her. It's the biggest step in our relationship yet, but after I nearly got her killed a hug feels necessary.

"Better. Lungs are still a little tight, but I'm good." She answers, then follows me into the house. "How about you? I heard you didn't go to the hospital."

"No… I didn't. Not really my scene." I say, trying to brush the question off. When we walk back into the living room, her eyes go wide as she takes in the mess before her. Papers and files and pictures spread over the entire room.

"I see you've been busy…" She breathes out as she shrugs off her jacket. I watch as she approaches the murder board, studying the known connections, and then takes in all the leaps I've taken, trying to find anything that could help us. Most of it is guessing, but we need SOME sort of lead before Sam's trail runs cold.

"Spade… I need to apologize." I say softly. The taller woman turns to look at me and gives me a questioning look. "For… for putting you in danger like that. If I had just called it in-"

"Then more of us would have been trapped in that building." She cuts me off. I don't reply to that, mainly because I think she's right.

I take a breath and try again. "I just… I've made this situation worse by acting outside the lines sometimes. And I've involved you in that. After years of bending the rules so much… I don't realize when I bend them too far and they end up snapping. You could have been seriously hurt… or you could have died."

"But I didn't. You didn't. We are both alive, and not too much worse for wear. So, drop it Robbins." Sharice tells me. I go to argue but she beats me to it. "I get it, ok? You feel guilty. You think you led me in there and that you are to blame. Well… get over it. I'm a grown ass woman. I've been on the force longer than I care to say, and I know how to take care of myself. If I didn't want to work with you, I wouldn't. If I didn't want to go into that building, I wouldn't have. But I did. And it's on both of us. So whatever pity party you got going on in that brain of yours, knock it off. We got work to do. There is still a cop killer out there who is just looking to wear my bracelets."

Detective Spade and I spend the next few hours throwing theories back and forth. It helps, having someone to reel in your ideas, or to nod along when something starts to make sense. Sharice has been given a couple days off as well, to recover from her injuries from yesterday, and she is more than happy to join me in my forced leave. Coffee flows freely, the brown liquid seeming to grease the wheels of our brain. Every few minutes or so I look to my phone, hoping for a call from Teddy. A call that will give us more information. Maybe this Knox guy is just a coincidence, maybe he's just a filthy rich guy that goes around buying up property then leases is out. …_but I don't believe in coincidences._ Finally, the clock on the wall chimes 3 pm, telling me that its time to go pick Sofia up.

After saying goodbye to Spade, and getting the police escort set up, I fire up the engine of my undercover cruiser and head out. I pull up at the curb of the school about ten minutes before the kids are let out, so I step out of the car and wait. A couple other moms' drive by and shout at me that this area is not the pick up zone, that there is a line. All I do is hold up my badge, then ignore them. So maybe I'm abusing the power of the shield …_get over it._

Finally the dams break and tiny humans come running out of the red double doors. Screams of joy and laughter fill the air as the babies race to their mommies and daddies. As I'm looking over my shoulder to check on the two police officers standing just up and down the street, a pair of strong arms wrap around my legs.

"Mommy!" Sofia yells, pulling on my jeans for me to lift her up.

"Hey honey bear…" I say, hoisting her up into a big hug. "How was school today, baby girl? You learn lots?" She doesn't answer, just hugs me and then gestures for me to put her back down so she can talk with a little blonde haired girl, one of her best friends. When I set her down, Agent Wilson steps forward with a smile.

"Agent Robbins." He greets. "Sofia was an angel as usual." Wilson says as his eyes beam at the tiny half Latina laughing her little butt off.

"Ms. Robbins?" A man calls from towards the school, making me look up.

"Special Agent Robbins." I correct the man out of habit.

"Of course, my apologies." He says. "Someone left this for you at the school's office." The guy hands over a manila envelope with just 'Robbins-Torres' written on the front in red marker. My gut immediately starts talking to me.

"Did they leave a name?" I ask the retreating man. He just shakes his head and gives me an apologetic look, then retreats back into the school. Casting a glance at the pair of little girls ten feet from me, I open the metal clasp then pull out the envelopes contents. When I see what it is, my heart drops and a cold sheen of sweat starts to erupt over my body. I flip through one, then another, then the last. Three large black and white photos invade my mind. And the scene pictured in them makes it even worse. It's me, with Sofia and Callie on our porch in front of our home. …_these were taken just yesterday. _

"Agent Robbins, are you alright?" Wilson asks when he sees the color drain from my face.

"No. Get Altman to my house, right now." I tell him, then turn to Sofia who is still chatting away with her friend. "Come on baby girl, we need to get home." It takes everything I have to make sure my very astute daughter doesn't pick up on how upset I am. The whole drive back, I keep glancing at the pictures that are now lying on the passenger's seat.

The pictures were taken from close range, meaning Sam was close. Close enough to take pictures. But she wasn't seen. She was able to get close enough to my family, to my home, without arousing suspicion. But that's not all. Drawn in red ink is a bullseye, and it's placed right over my head. If that's not a death threat, I don't know what is.

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><p>AN2: So Arizona is back on the hunt. Maybe this Knox guy will be the missing piece. And will Sam come back into play next chapter? Stay tuned to find out yall.<p> 


	26. Chapter 26

Disclaimer: This is AU. I do not own any of the characters from Grey's Anatomy. I just manipulate them to my will. Also, any line or phrase or setting that seems remotely familiar from any other show, movie or book, also not mine.

AN: Ok so… I know its been a couple weeks. And I'm really sorry about the big delay. But here is the next update. We last left with Arizona receiving a couple pictures with her head the center of a bullseye. Will Arizona take that lying down, or will she finally catch up with the psychopath?

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><p>Chapter 26<p>

"There." Teddy says, pointing to a second story window of a house across the street and three doors down. "That's the only place this angle matches." My partner explains, her eyes darting between the window and the picture in her hand. Sharice has a photo as well, and nods in agreement when she compares the picture with that of the placement of the vantage point.

"Do you know who lives there?" Teddy asks me.

"No one. …Now. They moved out about a month ago." I tell the two women. I clutch the baby monitor in my hand tighter. Sofia is in the living room, watching Finding Nemo for the umpteenth time while eating a half of a peanut butter sandwich. Callie and Miguel are still at the hospital, and I seem to be checking my watch every five seconds.

When my partner catches my glance for the twentieth time in five minutes she asks "I can have an escort go and get them."

"No." I tell her. "Sam's not after them anymore. She's after me." The pictures with the sniper sight trained on my head is a clear message of exactly WHO the psychopath is after. "Don't need my family anymore stressed."

"So… you're not planning on telling your wife that you received a little love letter?" Spade asks, grabbing the picture from my hand.

"No." I state firmly. "And no one else will either. Got it?" I give a pointed glare to each of my partners in crime. When the taller blonde hesitates, I add "And Tim doesn't hear about this either, Teddy."

"I don't like this." Teddy says, running a hand over her face. Weeks and weeks of stress has taken a toll on everyone and it is showing big time.

"What's to like?" I reply then glance at my watch again and see its only thirty seconds later than the last time I checked. "So you getting a raid together on that house or what? Come on, you're burning daylight Altman." I tell her, needing to be in the action again. I've had enough of just sitting around and waiting, Teddy needs to be doing something. Back in the living room, I take a seat next to my daughter while the house down the street gets raided. I pull on the fake smile that I've perfected over the years and watch Dory imitate orca sounds even though my mind is racing. The minutes seem to slow down even more, the ticking of the clock on the wall seems to never come.

After what seems like an eternity, the team walks back into the house. A quick kiss to my girl's forehead, I stand and join the two women in the kitchen, away from young innocent ears.

"So?" I ask, looking at both of my friends and seeing an expression of frustration.

"That was the place." Spade answers. "There was evidence of someone staying there for a period of time."

"CSI is over there now, collecting whatever kind of evidence they can get." Teddy continues. Her phone ringing pulls her away from the conversation.

Turning back to the detective I ask "How long do you think they were there?"

"Can't tell, Robbins. There were indentations of a chair placed in front of that window and a couple fast food wrappers." Sharice answers. I take a seat and hang my head in my hands. …_they were right here. Someone was watching me, my family. And I had no fucking clue. Damn it! I just want this to be done. I need to finish this._

Teddy comes stomping back into the kitchen, a look of hope on her face. "We got a list of Knox's other properties. Come on Spade, let's go." Sharice snaps to attention, and heads out the door.

"Wait, I'm coming." I say, standing and following the two women.

Teddy halts at the threshold of the front door and holds up a hand to me. "No, you're going to stay here and watch Sofia. Then when Callie gets back, all of you are going to a safer location."

"Teddy-" I start, but get cut off.

"Arizona, enough." Teddy growls. "This is my show. You stay here." She starts to walk down the front porch steps and heading to her waiting cruiser.

"It's been your show for a fucking week and the only breaks you've gotten were thanks to ME." I snap back, my voice raised and rage dripping from every word.

"Mommy?" Sofia calls from behind me. I turn and see scared brown eyes. She has her stuffed dog clutched tightly against her, trying to be a brave girl for her Mommy.

"Hey baby girl, is your movie over?" I ask as she walks up to me and raises her arms. I lift her up and rest her against my hips. She nods and grips my shirt tighter. My eyes dart back to my partner's and see her expression has softened. Teddy, as hard ass as she is at work, is nothing but butter when it comes to Sofia and Miguel.

I take a deep breath to get my tone under control. "How many properties?" I ask.

"Nine." Teddy answers. "Spade and I will split up. We'll find her, Arizona." The blonde promises. I watch as the agent and homicide detective slide into Teddy's undercover cruiser and fire up the engine. Sirens wail as my partner takes off down the road, and in pursuit of the woman who has turned my happy life upside down. Even though I know that Teddy and Sharice would do everything for me, I still can't help but think that the only way all of this is going to end is if Sam and I go toe to toe. Somehow… for some reason… this whole thing has gone from a 'simple' family take over to a personal vendetta against me. What I did? I don't know. But I know I pissed off a very dangerous psychopath. And that the only thing that will stop her is if she is in the darkest prison cell this country has, or six feet under. …_and I know its going to be me putting her there._

"Where Aunt Teddy go?" Sofia asks.

"She's going to go catch the bad guys." I tell my daughter with a big smile, hoping that my very discerning girl can't tell that it's 100% fake.

"Why you no go? You superhero too! You catch bad guys." The brown haired, brown eyed four year old states.

"I do. But I'd rather spend some time with my favorite soldier." I reply, blowing a raspberry on the tiny human's cheek, making her squeal and giggle like a little girl should. We walk back into the sanctity of our home, and I sit with my daughter as she goes over her homework with me. I keep the house phone close, praying for an update. I know how long it takes to get a couple SWAT teams together and raid a property, let alone nine. So I have a while to wait.

An hour later, and the low grumble of the Jeep's engine tells me that Callie has arrived. I quickly stash the photo's on the kitchen counter under the pile of mail and greet my wife at the door.

"Hey little man!" I say enthusiastically to my son, his chubby little arms reaching out for me to take him. "I got him, Calliope." The Latina transfers the boy to my arms so she can get her coat and briefcase off. Once she is successfully inside the door, soft lips find mine and my wife gives me a slow and sensual kiss.

"Mmm…" I hum after our lips part, my mind spinning. That kiss was not our usual welcome home kiss. "What was that for?" I ask with a big dopey smile on my face. My eyes skim up and down my sexy wife's body, the dark wash jeans doing wonders on her ass and hips. If it wasn't for the very tiny human in my arms, my hands would be roaming the firm surface of her delicious butt, stomach and breasts.

"I just really missed you today." She growls, giving my neck a soft nip then a kiss to the chubby cheek of our son. "Where's-"

"Living room." I answer the question before Callie can even ask it. I follow my wife deeper into the home and Sofia barrels into her Momma's legs, holding them tight in a strong hug.

"We having sleep over at Unk T's, Momma!" Sofia exclaims, always loving when she gets to spend the night at Tim's place. There she gets extra cheesy pizza and ice cream, and gets to stay up past her bed time.

Callie gives me a confused look and asks "We are, huh? Did Mommy say you were, mija?"

"Mommy said all of us are having a sleep over. Momma too!" Sofia squeals. "Aunt Teddy is catching bad guys, so Unk T is fraid. We go make him not fraid. Right Mommy?" Brown eyes as deep as my wife's turn to me, bright and alive with joy.

"That's right baby girl." I answer, avoiding the questioning look of my wife. "Why don't you go pack your duffle bag, ok?" Curly brown locks shake as she nods her head, then tiny feet go racing out of the living room and up to her bedroom.

"So… you going to fill me in?" Callie asks, following me upstairs and into Miguel's room. I set him down in his crib while I go about packing up an over night bag for him.

"It's been a while since Tim spent time with any of us, and I thought he would enjoy the company." I answer, working on keeping my face neutral.

"He usually comes over here for that. Why are ALL of us spending the night at his place?" She asks. Sometimes she's too quick for her own good. "Has something happened? Something with your case?"

"It's not my case." I reply firmly. "Now go pack a bag, Calliope." I can feel the burn of brown eyes on my back, but I don't turn around as I busy myself with packing and repacking the diapers in Miguel's diaper bag. Ten minutes later, Callie walks back into our son's room and takes the boy in her arms, an over night slung over her shoulders. I know that she has not dropped the issue, but she's not going to question me. Not in front of the kids.

"We'll be downstairs." My wife tells me. "Come on mija, let's go pick out a couple movies for you to take over to Uncle Tim's." Sofia giggles, then goes barreling down the stairs, her own over night bag being drug after her.

Once in the bedroom, I pull out my own over night bag. Actually it's my old duffle from the Corps. If I search hard enough, I'm sure I can still find a couple grains of sand still stuck in the material from all the time I spent in the sandbox. Stains of sweat and blood mar the surface but I wouldn't change it for the world. …_this bag has seen as much action as I have._ Snapping out of my little flashback, I start to pack up a few items I'll need for the night. As I scrounge around the sock drawer, my fingers come upon the smooth surface of a white envelope. Pulling it out, I read the neat script of my handwriting.

Everyone who is in the line of work that I am in has one of these. A 'just in case' letter. A letter for their loved ones just in case they don't make it home that night. Just incase something happens, and there is never that one last opportunity to tell the people you love that you DO love them. Callie doesn't know its here, and she won't know until it comes time for her to read it. Teddy knows the location of my letter, just like I know the location of hers. It's an unspoken vow that we don't reveal their locations unless absolutely necessary. I haven't opened the sealed envelope since I added a fourth lengthy letter to the contents after Miguel was born.

Miguel's letter is the most light hearted one out of all the letters. I wrote about what I hope he gets from me and his other mother. The lessons he needs to learn, and what it means to be a younger brother. That no matter what happens, no matter how hard it seems, you always fight for what you love and you protect those you hold dearest to your heart. The first letter was written years and years ago. Back when I was still in the service, just getting ready to deploy. It's labeled Timothy, and it tells my brother things he already knows. It's the shortest of the four, because what more can I say to the one person who was literally by my side since BEFORE I was born. The next one that was written was for the love of my life, Calliope. It is by far the longest out of all of them. I spent hours and hours just writing to her. Writing about the dreams I had for us, my hopes for our future. I wrote that she was the only one that I was ever meant to be with, and the only one that I was ever truly happy with.

And the hardest out of all four of the letters that are now clutched in my hands is the one written out to my daughter. My soldier. My baby girl. The ink is smeared and page puckered from where tears had hit the page while being written. It tells Sofia how proud I am of her, and how much I love her. That from the second the doctor placed her in my arms, everything else ceased to matter. I tell her that life will be hard, but she has the best Momma in the world and to never forget that.

"Arizona!" Callie yells up the stairs, making me jump in surprise. I immediately replace the heavy envelope back in its hiding place, praying that it will never need to be opened. "What's taking so long?"

"Coming!" I holler back. Shoving a pair of socks and my deodorant into the duffel, my eyes land on the silver dog tags lying onto of my dresser. In a split second decision, I grab them and throw them over my head then sling my duffle bag onto my shoulder and head out. Once down stairs I see Callie has the kids ready to go, shoes and jackets laced and tied. "Sorry…" I mumble, sticking the tags under my shirt. The familiar chill hits between my breasts and makes me shiver. I only wear my brothers and my tags when one of us is in battle, and right now… I'd say I'm in a pretty big battle.

"Come on baby girl." I say to Sofia, holding out my hand for her to take. As my family steps out onto the front porch, my eyes instinctively dart to that window where the photos were taken from. We move quickly into cover, behind the large tree in the yard and load the kids up into the Jeep. A police car stays in front of us and behind us, escorting my family and I to my brothers home. It's no where's near a safe house, but its safer than our home right now. Taking my family to a run down and dingy safe house right now would make everyone stressed past their limits.

"Alright, we're here!" Callie exclaims in her baby talk voice. She goes to open the door but I reach across from the driver's seat and lay a restraining hand on her thigh.

"Wait a minute." I tell her softly, then glance at the rear view mirror. Uniformed officers from both cars exit their cruisers and quickly sweep the area for any onlookers or staked out cars.

"Is it that bad?" Callie asks quietly, not wanting to frighten the kids in the back seat. Her brown eyes are trained onto me, but I don't meet her gaze.

"Just precautions, Calliope. Nothing to worry about." I reply. When an officer gives me a nod of the head, I exit the car and do my own visual sweep. Once safely inside and orders to the security details given, I can finally breathe since receiving those photos. …_family is all together and safe. All is good. All is good. Just keep saying that Robbins. All is good. Teddy is out there, finding Sam. You just stay here with your family._

"You alright, Zebra?" Tim asks from behind the stove. He's cooking us up some dinner while Callie gets some baby time with Miguel and Sofia in my brothers living room. "Not that I mind you guys crashing here. Not at all but… I can sense something is going on with you."

"It's nothing T-Man. Really." I reply, pulling on my best fake smile.

Blue eyes lock with mine. "Bullshit, Zona. What's going on? I tried to get it out of Teddy but her lips are sealed tighter than a nun's legs."

"Nice, Tim." I growl, getting a smirk out of my twin. "Real nice. You better not speak that way in front of my kids."

He just rolls his eyes. "Just because you're a whole five minutes older than me doesn't mean that you know best, Arizona. I KNOW something is going on. How am I supposed to help if you don't let me in on it?" Tim tries a different tact. I take a deep breath and rub my eyes. The sound of Callie giggling with Sofia and Miguel makes me smile and it's almost like there isn't a cold blooded killer out there looking for vengeance.

"You are helping, Tim." I whisper, giving my brother a small smile. Tim finishes up dinner then we call in the herd. Five bodies crowd around the bachelors, or ex-bachelor now that Teddy seems to have caught him, tiny dinner table. Sofia HAS to sit next to her favorite guy, and Miguel happily babbles while Callie attempts to get some food in his belly. I get phone calls from time to time telling me that one more property was cleared. By now, only two properties have yet to be searched and my anxiety is building that Sam won't be in either of them.

After dinner, Sofia and Miguel are placed in front of the TV to settle them down before bed time and the adults grab a cup a coffee and sit at the table. It's quiet, none of us really having anything to say. Callie knows something is up, but has no idea. Tim has a little better idea…_thanks to that weird twin thing._ And me… I don't plan on telling anyone what has really happened. Not until it's all over. …And even then, I probably won't.

Tim and I are talking back and forth about his latest construction job while Callie sits next to me, going through the mail that she shoved in her bag on the way out of our front door. I'm too engaged in my brother that I don't see my wife's eyes on the manila envelope with 'Robbins-Torres' written on the front. A gasp of shock falls from her mouth as she pulls out the three pictures. When I look over and see what she has in her hands, I snatch them from her but its too late… she's already seen them.

"Give me those." Her tells me in a tone that makes the hair on the back on my neck stand straight up. I hesitate, but when it looks like she's about to peel my skin off my body, I hand the photos back over. Her eyes go wide as she flips between the three pictures. She remembers that scene, her, Sofia and I all out on the porch step. Tim has watched this unfold and leaves his chair, coming around to look over his sister-in-law's shoulder.

"Damn it, Zebra…" He grumbles.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Callie asks, her jaw clenching and nose flaring, alerting me that she is really pissed off about being left in the dark. "Someone was watching us and you didn't tell me? How could-" She's cut off by the ringing of my phone. I hold up a finger, telling her to hold that thought. When I see the caller ID, I look back up and see angry brown eyes.

"Gotta take this." I mumble, thankful for a way out of this very bad situation. "Robbins." I answer. A knocking on Tim's front door makes me freeze. My brother stiffens and Callie instinctively stands and places herself in the path between the door and our kids just a room away.

"**Hey, it's Spade."** Sharice replies. **"We got a problem."** She says as Tim peeks through the peep hole and opens the door. Two suited FBI agents are standing on the other side. …_this doesn't look good._

"What's going on?" I ask into the receiver just as much as I ask the two agents staring at me.

"**Hostage situation. We've pinned Sam and her horde down, but they-"**

"How many?" I ask.

"**Unknown. But they have Altman."** Sharice answers gravely. My blood runs cold and my eyes dart to Tim's. **"She wants you, and only you. Bryne promises to kill one person every fifteen minutes otherwise."**

"I'm on my way." I say then hang up. Now I'm standing at the entrance of Tim's home in the middle of a very tense group of people. Callie fearful for our family. Tim sensing something is really wrong. And the agents on edge from the whole cluster fuck that now seems to follow me around.

Dealing with my wife first, I say "There's a situation that needs my attention , Calliope." She's about to object when I add "It's Teddy. Sam has taken her and some others hostage. And she only wants me as a negotiator." I chance a glance at my brother and see anger, pain, and terror raging through him all at once. "I'll get her back, T-Man. Don't worry. You stay here with Calliope and the kids." Without giving Callie a chance to speak, I place a kiss on her lips, a kiss on my brother's cheek then pull on my leather jacket as I head out the door with the two agents sent as an escort.

"Arizona…" Callie calls, running after me as I'm on the front porch. I turn to her and am immediately engulfed by strong surgeon arms. Lips find mine and this kiss isn't chaste. It's hard and wet and needing. Chuckling from one of the agents pulls us back to reality.

"Come home to me, ok?" Callie asks. "I don't want to read that letter you don't think I know about." I nod, then give her one last kiss. With that, I take off at a jog towards the waiting black FBI SUV. While in transport, I am given back my two sidearm's, as well as a Kevlar vest. Sirens wail as the SUV pushes through Seattle night traffic. What's worse, its started to rain, setting the scene to a very grave and depressing scene that I am about to walk in to.

We pull up outside a busy FBI barrier. Police cars, undercover cruisers and swat vans are lined up about 30 feet away from a building. It's a commercial block and a large crowd of people have gathered around, interested in what is going on. Seeking out Spade, I find her at the back of a SWAT van with one of the SWAT team leaders.

"What we got?" I ask, velcroing my vest tighter against my body. Spade pulls out a large cell phone and pushes a button, then hands it to me. I bring it to my ear and wait.

"**This had better be Arizona." **A cold voice answers.

"That's right." I reply, keeping all my emotions on the back burner. Right now it's not about evening the score between the two of us. It's about getting Teddy and who ever else may be in that building with them. "How are the hostages?" I ask.

"**Alive… Though your partner kind of ran into on of my bullets. But she's alive."** Sam purrs.

"What's it going to take to get them out of there?" I ask frantically. The image of my partner lying on the floor, bleeding out makes me sick.

"**You."** Sam answers shortly. **"I want you… unarmed. No wires, no mics, no phones."** Spade and the SWAT leader are listening to our conversation with their own ear piece, and two sets of eyes dart to me. When I hesitate, Bryne continues**. "Oh come on baby. We never got to finish our discussion. We were going to have all sorts of fun but then you had to bust up the party."**

"You know, if you wanted to talk to me, all you had to do was call. No need to hurt innocent civilians because you and I have some beef." I reply. "Trust me, I REALLY want to see you again Samantha."

"**Then my offer should be fine, right? You walk into this building, hands up, no vest. And I let everyone go."** Sam says, and I can hear the pleasure in her tone just from thinking about getting me all by myself again.

I catch the detective's eyes and she shakes her head no. "Sounds fair to me." I state, and a small laugh of victory comes from the other end of the line. "But I want the hostages out first."

"**You don't trust me?"** Sam asks, feigning hurt.

"You haven't given me a reason to trust you yet, Samantha." I reply sharply, which gets another bark of laughter.

"**Fine. I'll let the hostages go, and then you walk right in so we can finish what we started. Woman to woman. …How's that sound?"** She growls.

"Perfect. Five minutes." And I hang up.

"NO." Spade commands immediately. "You are not-"

"All due respect, Detective Spade but this isn't your jurisdiction." I snap at the woman. "This is mine. I call the shots. And I'm going in." I strip my vest off and hand over my just reacquired weapons to one of the SWAT guys. I issue orders to the task force surrounding the building and then building slowly, the cell phone still gripped in my hand. At the front door, I open the front of my jacket to show that I have no vest. I lift up my shirt, revealing a bare stomach to show that I have no wire. Then I turn and lift the back of my shirt, to show that I have no weapons on me. Rain is pouring down on me, soaking me to the bone.

Bringing the phone to my ear, I say "Let the hostages out!" I wait five seconds, ten seconds, thirty seconds. But finally the front door opens. I hear the bustle of guns being drawn and trained on those exiting. A team of SWAT members approach and take hold of those hostages fleeing the building. …_fuck, where's Teddy? Come on Ted's get your ass out here._ Then the front door opens again and a big guy is helping me partner walk out, blood seeping from her right leg. Her color is near that of a ghost, but she's still alive and I let out a sigh of relief. As SWAT goes to surround them, our eyes meet for a half a second until she is taken to cover.

"**That's everyone."** Sam says over the phone**. "Now toss the phone and walk in here, or I'll take you out with a single bullet to the head." **

I throw the phone into the trash can as I head to the entrance of the building. With a hand on the handle of the front doors, I send up a silent prayer that I'm not about to walk straight to my own death. One last glance back to the small army of people not thirty feet away from me, I pull the door open and step inside. It's dark, but not pitch black. I can't make out my surrounds so I take a couple more steps inside. I'm about to call out when a bag gets thrown over my head.

"Welcome back baby." Sam growls in my ear, and right here I know that only one of us will be walking out of this building alive.

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><p>AN2: Looks like the final showdown has finally started. Will Arizona be able to tackle Sam, or will the killer be too much for our favorite FBI Agent? More to come… Stay tuned.<p> 


	27. Chapter 27

Disclaimer: This is AU. I do not own any of the characters from Grey's Anatomy. I just manipulate them to my will. Also, any line or phrase or setting that seems remotely familiar from any other show, movie or book, also not mine.

AN: Alright, another chapter up already. Just to make up for my long absence. Enjoy!

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><p>Chapter 27<p>

As soon as the hood is pulled over me, a fist lands in the center of my stomach, making me double over in pain as I try to remember how to breathe again. My hands are yanked behind my back and tied with a zip tie. Strong, large hands… a man's hands, grip my arm painfully tight and drag me after him. I struggle to keep up, my lungs not wanting to work right, the disorientation of being blind and the awkward angle I'm having to walk in all working against me. I try to silence my mind so I can hear whatever else I am able to pick up. …_feet. A lot of feet. Three, four sets. Heavy breathing. That chuckle, that's Sam. She's to my left, putting me on her dominant side._ I'm walked right into a door frame, my unprotected face slamming into the metal edge and busting open my lip. Several different laughs are heard and I place my guess at around four unknown subjects.

"Sit." Sam snaps, pushing me back onto the ground. I land hard, my body falling back and head smacking the floor.

"Fuck." I growl, trying to keep any trace of fear or hurt hidden from the woman above me. Feet move away from me and I can discern someone talking in a whisper. The building is loud by itself, meaning there must be a generator or some other type of heavy machinery running. It drowns out all the small noises that I would greatly appreciate right now. A slamming of a door makes me jump and the next second I feel a warm breath hitting the fabric still over my head.

"So we meet again, Agent Robbins." Sam purrs. Scratching over the ground makes me think that my capture is pulling up a chair in front of me.

"Special Agent." I correct the woman.

"Whatever." Sam replies. "So… how about we pick up where we ended last time?"

"You'll have to refresh my memory. …I've forgotten what that was." I answer smartly, wanting to get under the skin of Bryne. If she's rattled, she starts to get anxious and hopefully she'll slip up. It's really the only game plan I have at this point. A fist lands firmly on my jaw, the punch so hard that it knocks me sideways.

"That ring any bells?" Sam asks, her tone dead serious now. I try to push myself back up in the sitting position but with my hands tied behind me, it makes for a difficult task. When I am finally upright again, I sit back against the cool wall behind me stretch out my jaw.

"Ahh…" I groan, blood starting to seep from my mouth. "Yeah… Now I remember." I answer, clearly remembering a punch similar to that which ended up knocking a tooth out of my mouth.

"Good. So… how'd you find me?" Sam asks.

"Knox. He owns all the properties you've been tied too so far." I answer, knowing that it doesn't reveal anything of importance. "You father and he go way back."

"How-" She starts but I cut her off.

"This is how it's going to work. You ask a question, then I ask a question." I tell her. A strong hand finds the center of my soaked shirt and yanks me up to where I am standing. …_fuck she's strong._

"I don't think you're in the position to be bargaining, baby." Sam growls. The click of a gun being cocked greets my ears and then I feel the distinctive barrel of said gun being placed right against my forehead. "Now… you are going to play by my rules. Or you're not going to play at all. You understand?"

"Yeah… yeah I understand." I whisper, my heart feeling like its going to beat out of my chest. It's not the first time I've had a gun pointed at me, but usually I can see the person. I can see his face, and I can tell his intentions just by the way his eyebrows are raised, or how his jaw is set. I'm working blind right now, and have no clue how serious Sam is. Though… based on everything leading up to this I'd say she's pretty serious about killing me.

A hand releases me and she steps back, moving out of striking distance from me. "Now… Sean told me that you were a mind reader. You knew about her mother in a minute. It took her three months to tell ME that her mother died when she was young. …So, impress me and maybe I'll let you live for a while longer."

"I'm no mind reader." I answer, and the pressure of the gun against me increases. I quickly explain "I read faces. I profile. I know people better than they know themselves. That's my job. You want me to break you down? Fine, let me look at you. Remove this fucking hood and I'll rip you down until you are crying you crazy, psychotic bitc-" Another strong fist hits my jaw and sends me to the ground again. …_alright, I get it. Mouth off and get knocked. I'm a fast learner._ While I'm down, the hood is yanked off me and the light burns my eyes.

"Let's see what you got, baby. Come on… 'read' me." Sam sneers as she retakes her seat in front of me. I look up at her from the ground and see she's really loving this. An almost orgasmic expression is one her face. Her eyes bright as she looks down at her prisoner. My gaze flicks over to Frankie who is standing in the corner closest to the door, a radio in one hand and a gun in the other.

"What you want to know?" I ask my captor, just buying some time.

"Surprise me." The ex-nurse replies.

"Something happened a little over a month ago. Something to set you off. Right around the time I arrested Frankie." I wait and read the psychopaths expression. "You went to nursing school, graduated, and got accepted to one of the best teaching hospitals in the country, yet you throw it away to do what? …Kill people? Something happened. What was it?" I ask, needing an answer just as much as the woman in front of me needs one. Frankie shifts uncomfortably in the back ground.

"Something between the two of you? …You and Frankie?" I chance a guess. Sam's jaw clenches, telling me I'm right on track. "What could it be…" I muse to myself. Frankie's hands drift to clasp themselves in front of his groin, a classic gesture one takes when trying to protect themselves.

"You guys were romantically involved weren't you?" I ask, some of the dots starting to connect. Teddy, Spade and I wondered what the connection between the two of them could be. A connection so strong that Sam hadn't turned on him yet, not like how she turned on her girlfriend and OTHER half-brother.

"You and Frankie… you two were together. And then when Frankie was arrested, your father told you that you two were related." I keep going, seeing no hint of me being wrong in their expressions. "And then you snapped. You've always had… darker thoughts, haven't you Sam? Laid hands on your mother and all. So much that I initially thought it was Max that was knocking her around." I say, and she just gives me the death glare. "Yeah… you've always been twisted. But this… this set you off your meds. You're in love with him."

"Shut up!" Sam yells, bolting out of her chair and pointing the gun at my chest.

"And here I thought it was all about Max O'Connor." I say, ignoring the raging woman. "But it was all about Frankie. You're taking out Max so Frankie can step in to his father's shoes. You stabbed Sean, and Johnnie because they knew your dirty little-" I foot finds its way into my ribs, knocking the wind out of me again. …_think I finally hit a nerve._

"I said SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Sam yells at the top of her lungs. "It's HIS fault. My fucking father, the rat. He deserves to die. We were happy, but then he… he…"

"He told you that you were fucking your brother." I fill in the woman's sentence and see my words sink into the woman. The rage and hurt bubbling towards the surface. "I get it… you were happy. Well, as happy as a cheating bipolar psychopath can be. …But you were happy."

"We were…" Sam says wistfully, her eyes glued to the large man in the corner. I can see Frankie shift uncomfortably, not liking that his dirty laundry is being aired.

"So you are taking out everyone who knows." Dark eyes flash to me, and I know that she was NOT expecting me to get all of this out of her. That she was not expecting to get this answer when she told me to read her.

"And now you know." Sam says with a tight smile. "So guess what has to happen to you?" She stows the gun in the back of her jeans then pulls out a large hunting knife. Her weapon of choice. She's a cutter, she likes to feel the blood and life spill from another human's body. The sight, the smell of blood gets her off even more than torturing someone. The cool steel is pressed against my throat and pressure is applied. I stifle the whimper that comes out of me as the blade pierces my skin.

"You're a coward." I whisper, staring the murderer dead in the eye. I have no doubt that she will slice me open. The only thing I can hope to do is wound her pride, make her fight me and give me more time to act. My words have the effect that I was praying on. The pressure lifts and her expression changes from pleasure the anger. She pulls the blade off my flesh and sits back on her heels, looking me full on.

"What did you say?" She growls.

"I said you are a fucking coward." I spit out. "Every one you've hurt or killed have been smaller, weaker… incapacitated somehow. You tasered the cops. You tasered me. You drugged me. You tied me up. You tasered my brother. You beat and stabbed Sean… a woman who trusted you. Yet you cheated on her, and then tried to kill her. You stabbed your unsuspecting brother, Johnnie. You battered your own MOTHER. …So I'll say it again. You. Are. A. Coward."

Sam tries to cover her rage by pulling a fake smile onto her face. "You think so, huh? …See, I sort of thought that by taking your little brat was sort of, oh… I don't know. …Ballsy." She says with a proud tone.

"Abducting a child PERIOD is a cowards work. My daughter is four years old. Tell me… where is the challenge in overpowering a little girl. …Did it make you feel strong, Sam? More of a human being? Did it make you-" I keep baiting her, waiting for her breaking point. I'm cut off when a hand finds a hold on my throat. Sam pulls me off the ground again, this time by choking me so I'll obey. Her knife is quickly replaced with her gun.

"Move." She snaps. Frankie takes hold of me again and pulls me down a hallway, Sam behind me and keeping me in her sights the whole way. For the first time I am finally able to make out what kind of building this is. It's an old gym, worn out and abandoned. There is some equipment here and there, large open rooms and walls lined with mirrors.

I'm led to the back of the gym, into a larger area. When my eyes adjust to the darkness I see that we are at the pool area. The pool is empty, water long ago drained from it, and now just an eerie hole in the floor. My gaze drifts to a large pool of reddish brown liquid drying at the deep end of the empty tub. My stomach churns as I connect that blood with the wound my partner sustained. …_she was shot like a fucking animal. Jesus Christ._

Frankie stands me on the edge, and a shove from Sam behind me makes me fall the 8 feet down to the bottom of the empty pool. I land on my feet but my momentum makes me collapse onto my front.

"Fuck!" I exclaim, biting my tongue something awful. "This you're idea of fair, Sam?" I fire up at my captor who is looking down at me.

"You wanna get to me? You have to pass the test." She sneers then snaps her fingers. A large man jumps down into the empty pool with me, his knuckles bruised and face split. Sam tosses her knife down to her cohort, who snatches it out of the air and turns to me.

"Turn around." He says gruffly. I just back away from him, not wanting to be anywhere near him.

"He's gonna cut you lose. You wanted fair, right?" Sam tells me. When I back into the furthest wall, my battle buddy grabs me and shoves me face first onto the textured cement below us. A quick yank and the zip ties are severed, my hands cut free. I immediately push myself up off the ground and assume a fighting stance, my hands in front of me and my feet set firmly below me. The large man starts to circle me, like he's sizing me up. Sam just takes a seat at the edge of the pool, like she's watching a tv show.

"You know she's just going to kill you, right?" I tell my opponent, wanting to get into his head. But he's not interested in talk. Bringing a big right arm up, he winds up for a killer of a punch. I dodge it by ducking just in time then move towards the center of the pit area so I have more room to maneuver. My eyes glance up to my captor and see that she has a gun trained on me.

"Don't kill her Owen… just make her hurt." Sam sneers and the man chuckles.

"Owen huh?" I ask, trying to stall. He approaches me, his large muscled chest almost busting out of the tight shirt he's wearing. "What are you getting out of this Owen? She promise you a position? Money? Swag?" He winds up for another punch and I easily dodge that as well. One of the pluses about taking on big guys is that they can't move near as fast as I can. Something to be said about too much muscle.

"She tell you why she took O'Connor out? …That she could have warned him? She could have helped him escape but she didn't? …Instead she went and stabbed her girlfriend?" I keep pushing. Sam is getting angrier and angrier, but my words don't seem to be sinking in to the meat head fighting me. Another swinging punch and another dodge. He's getting pissed off and starts to swing more. I dodge and block, redirecting his blows to where within a couple minutes he is panting and out of breath. Then a wild fist comes from the right, one I didn't see and it flattens me to the ground.

That's what he was waiting for. One punch is all it takes to get me right where he wants me. His strong hands find purchase on my body and I am hauled up. With one hand wrapped around my neck, his right hand is free to abuse me anyway it likes.

"Come on baby, fight." Sam cheers me on. "You want to get to me, you have to go through Owen." A fist finds my stomach and I double over in pain. Owen lets me lay there, gasping for air as he circles me and laughs. …_come on Robbins. You're stronger than this. You're a fucking Marine. You CAN'T keep a Marine down. Get UP._ I push myself up off the floor and return to my fighting stance.

"She's like a fucking cockroach. She just won't die." The psychopath sneers. "If it wasn't that I need to kill you, I think I'd keep you around." Cold eyes stare down at me and I suppress the shudder that runs down my spine. Her gaze flicks to her cohort and says "Finish her." Owen smiles happily and runs at me. Timing it just right, I duck to avoid his wild haymaker and trip up his feet, sending him crashing to the floor.

He scrambles to right himself but I land on his back and try to pull him into a choke hold. Making someone pass out from lack of oxygen to the brain is a tricky thing. They squirm too much… and snap goes the neck. But don't apply enough pressure and they can easily fight their way out. That's the problem I'm having now… that and the fact that this fuckers neck is so thick that my arm barely manages to fit around it. He starts to thrash with me on top of him. And it doesn't take long for Owen to get pissed off and throw me to the floor.

Now he is the one with the upper hand. He is above me, his large body seeming to crush mine. In Marine Basic you are taught to grapple, to fight for your life with your hands. And now I thank god that I paid attention. My air supply is cut off when a hand finds my neck. My eyes widen as I see Owen raise a fist high above me, preparing for a punch that would knock me out of commission for good. He brings it down and I am able to turn to the side just in time. A howl of pain bounces off the pool hall's walls as his bones break against the cement ground. I take his moment of weakness and use it to my advantage. Extricating myself from his grip, I flip him over and pull his non-battered arm into a lock. A yank and his shoulder cleanly pops out of socket. He tries to fight, to kick me. A foot lands on my ribs and the air is knocked out of me. And foot winds up to kick but I catch it, spin and pull his lower limb at an angle until a loud CRUNCH is heard, his knee giving in to the stress.

"AHHH!" He yells, now with three of his four limbs injured and useless. As Owen flops around on the ground in pain, I force myself to stand again.

"Alright, Sam. Come on." I shout at the woman looking down at me with a cynical smile on her lips. "COME ON!" Frankie looks between the two of us, unsure about this entire situation. The three of us jump when the sound of gunfire comes from the front of the gym. …_those are SWAT rifles. _

"Cavalry is on it's way, Sam. It's now or never." I keep baiting the murderer, hoping that if I bash her pride enough she'll fight once and for all. "So what's it going to be?" Yelling from behind the locked doors of the pool hall tells me that SWAT has breached the building.

"Get her." Sam commands her ex-lover as she backs away from me. I've pulled myself out of the pool and gaining ground on the pair. Frankie looks between the two of us, not believing that Sam is sacrificing him in hopes of getting away. But something in him forces Frankie to protect his 'woman' so he draws his gun on me. A blast at the double doors and then a team of men dressed in black start to swarm. A shot rings out and the lights above us go out, sending us into darkness. The glow of a security light outlines Frankie five feet in front of me, gun drawn.

"FBI! EVERYBODY DOWN!" SWAT yells into the open expanse.

"Drop it." I command Frankie.

"Fuck you." He sneers. Before he can pull the trigger, I close the distance and strip the gun from him. My foot sweeps his legs out from under him and my hands grab his wrist. A SWAT member approaches immediately, taking control of the man. Leaving Frankie to be cuffed and taken into custody, I grab his gun and take chase in the direction I saw Sam run before she shot out the overhead light.

"Robbins!" Someone calls from the side.

"She's on the run!" I yell back, knowing whose voice it is. I run at full speed down a narrow hallway lined with loud machines on either side of me. I come to the end of the line and find an opened hatch leading down into the underground tunnel system. Stashing my weapon in the back of my jeans, I quickly descend into the darkness.

I drop down, falling into a crouch and pull out my gun. I take a second to slow my breathing as my ears tune into the noise of the tunnel. Trying to clue in on which way Sam went, I look to the left and to the right. Its damn near pitch black except for the beams of light omitted by the small light bulb placed every twenty feet or so. …_fuck. Left or Right. Left or Right._ A scuff from the left gives me my answer and I take off at a run.

"Bryne!" I yell, my voice bouncing off the cement tunnel walls. More pounding of feet in front of me makes me push harder and faster. After a block, I come to a fork in the road again. Left or Right. But just as I'm approaching the intersection, hands shoot out from around the corner and grab me by the front of my shirt. Sam hauls me around and slams me back against the cement wall so hard it makes my teeth vibrate. A punch skims my chin, the darkness not helping her aim at all. We fight, each trying to find hold on the other. During our scuffle, I lose my grip on my gun and it falls to the ground. Another crash, and Sam's firearm also gets swallowed up by the darkness.

Somehow we both end up on the ground, each yanking and pulling and hitting the other. A hand pulls at my hair and I swear I have a bald patch now. …_why do chicks always go for the hair?_ Using a well placed hand and leg, I flip us so I'm on top. I don't know if I'm trying to detain the bitch or trying to kill her right now, but all I see is red. Both of us are panting and sweating, exerting all our strength on the other. I can feel Sam start to weaken and I praise God that this is almost over. Just as I'm about to flip the tired woman over to capture her hands behind her back, something pokes my stomach and a bolt of electricity shoots through me.

My body tenses and starts to spasm as Sam holds her signature taser against my wet and blood stained clothes. Because it's not on my neck I'm not knocked out, but the voltage is enough to stop me in my tracks. I fall off Sam and to the side, all of my muscles contracting and twitching in response to the electrical jolt I just received. Sam uses my state of weakness to get to her feet and take off again, her sense of escape outweighing her need to kill me right now.

"COWARD!" I yell after her, trying to get my body to start listening to me again. Thirty seconds and I finally force myself back on my feet. With a struggle, I give chase again. I close distance quickly because Sam is trying to find a way out, I'm just following her.

At five feet out, I spring forward and tackle the woman like a linebacker. She falls forward and crashes to the ground hard, me falling on top of her. An elbow thrown back to my face and I become disorientated. Sam pushes herself up, and I follow. Now we are finally toe to toe. Woman versus woman. Both soaked and tired. Beaten and fucking pissed off. She's fighting for her life, and I'm fighting for mine.

"What's wrong Sammy? Don't like facing a real challenge?" I gloat, wanting her to lash out. She chuckles then slowly pulls out the large hunting knife. The silver blade glinting in the low light falling upon us. "That's what I thought. A coward." I sneer, getting into my fighting stance, hands open and in front of me, ready for battle.

Sam's breathing is starting to level out and her body straightens. "You said I never gave you a reason to trust me. You really thought I'd take on a Marine without a little back up?" She asks, waving the knife in her hand. "I don't like to lose." With that, she lunges forward and the tip of the knife catches the material of my leather jacket. The sharp blade cuts the leather like butter, but thankfully misses any flesh.

Another swipe at my stomach and this time she connects. It's not a deep cut, but a long, six inch slit is cut in the front of my shirt, and blood slowly starts to seep out. I bring a hand to it and feel the slickness of my own life fluid. It wasn't meant to be a killing blow, just a threat. A taunt to tell me that Sam knows how to use her weapon of choice well. After a cackle, she lunges again, but gets sloppy after her little victory. She's not as quick this time and I'm able to block and capture her wrist. With a twist, pressure is applied to the joint and she drops the blade. I land a fist into her stomach and she doubles over, dropping to the ground. I step back, savoring the feeling of having her on her knees for the first time.

"You know… you and I are the same." Sam says through ragged breath. Both of us are exhausted by this point and feeling it.

"I'm nothing like you." I snap back, wiping my bleeding lip off with the back of my hand.

"Oh yes we are. We hunt down those that have wronged us." The murderer explains, trying to force herself back on her feet.

"I hunt criminals." I correct her. "You murder people who get in your way."

"And you're telling me you've never taken a life? You're a murderer too… just like me." Sam gloats, her body swaying as she tries to stay on her feet.

"I've killed, yes. But I'm not a murderer. There's a difference." I defend myself. My body tenses automatically and I can feel all the wear start to seep into my muscles and bones. "Unlike you, pulling the trigger is a last resort. I never want to take a life, and I wish I never have but I do what I have to to survive."

"Just like me." Sam adds. Rage starts to boil through me as I hear this woman, this cold blooded killer, this psychopath compare herself to me. To hear her say that I am like her, that we are two faces of the same coin is too much. "You know how I know? Huh?" I don't respond but just watch her pace slowly back and forth six feet infront of me. "Oh come on, baby. …I know why you really walked into this building with nothing. You wanted a chance to get me… to kill me. You wanted to see the life seep from my eyes. You wanted to be that person. You wanted that pleasure. …Admit it."

I don't respond, because I don't need to. She's right. Even if I didn't know it at the time, I know now that I put myself into the position of being taken hostage for that very chance. I want to kill her. I want to take her life, to put her out of commission for good so she can never hurt anyone ever again. So Sofia is safe. So Miguel is safe. So Callie is safe. I wanted to kill her. And she's right… I'm just like her. I bend the rules so much that I can't see when I break them. I cross the line so far that I can't even see it when I look back. Only difference is, I have a badge.

"Ahhh… you're getting it." Sam says, watching my expression melt right in front of her. "You're seeing it, aren't you?"

I pull my neutral mask back onto my face, remembering where I am right now. "I'm not going to kill you." I state coldly.

"No?" Sam asks incredulously. "So how is this going to end? Because we both know only one of us is walking out of here alive." I just stare. "So… if its not me… then you, my friend, are going to die. Did you say goodbye to your family? You're hot hot… HOT wife. Your little girl-" She's cut off by me barreling into her, slamming her up against the closest wall. I land a fist against her cheek and blood flies out. A knee to the stomach. Hair pulling. Cursing. Panting. Fists flying through the air, missing just as often as they connect. We swap skin and blood and sweat and spit.

I don't know how long we've been going at it. Time has escaped me. I imagine it's been ten, fifteen minutes. The gym has to have been cleared by now, those who were smart and surrendered now in custody. And those who decided to go out, guns blazing, are sleeping the endless sleep. But I know it's been long enough for whoever is still up there to know that me and our number one suspect are AWOL. …_do they have any idea where we are?_

After landing a particularly strong punch to Sam's face, her teeth cutting the skin of my knuckles, Sam backs pedals, trying to put space between us. In an instant, a gun is pointed directly at my face. I freeze in my tracks, not expecting this move at all. I thought we were even, that we were both unarmed. I can handle myself fist to fist. Even fist to knife. But no matter how fast you can move, how hard you can punch, nothing can beat a bullet. I try to think when she regained a firearm, and all I can come up with is that she picked it up while I was flopping around on the ground like a fish after being tasered.

A cocky, bloody smile crosses Sam's face and she takes another step back, putting even more distance between us. "Game's over." She says through busted lips.

"You cheated." I growl, my arms hanging limply at my side. A dull aching in my ribs, my face and my left arm tell me that I've probably sustained some broken bones during out battle. My eyes land on Sam and see she too sustained some damage. Her nose splayed to the right more than it use to, one of my punches having rearranged her face a bit.

"No… I just play by a different set of rules." Sam replies. "No hard feelings, right? I'll make it quick. A single round through the head. You won't even feel it." I don't respond, but just stare the woman down. I've got nothing left. No weapons, no strength. No game plan. My entire body is done. Her finger on the trigger is a hundred times fast than what I would be able to close the distance between us. …_but I have to try._

"Oh come on, Arizona." Sam exclaims. "You're about to die. Don't you have anything to say. Anything you need to tell me, anything you want to ask me?"

"I know everything." I answer solemnly. "I know why you are what you are, why you did what you did. And what I have to say has already been said to those who matter to me. You're not going to get the pleasure of making me beg. Or plead. I'm not going to cry and spill my heart out to you. So go on… pull the trigger. Put an end to all this so you can find someone else to become obsessed with. Another family to destroy. Because that's who you are. You're a psychopath. You need a goal. And your goal was to ruin my family and kill me. So go on… do it. Complete your task so you can move on to the next one. ….Do. It." I tell her, almost challenging her. If I can get her to hesitate, even for a split second…. I might still have a chance.

"So you want to die?" She asks incredulously.

"No. Not at all." I answer. "I'm just not afraid of it." I've been in this position many times before. I've faced death. Cheated it, you could say. And every time, my heart raced and my adrenaline kicked in. I fought to live, and I'll keep fighting. If I'm going out, I'm going out kicking and screaming. I'm not going to make it easy on the woman. I'm not going to beg… but I'm not going to give up either. I take a small step forward and Sam raises an eyebrow.

"You really think you're going to beat me?" She asks incredulously. I can see her finger tickling the trigger of her gun. Just a bit more pressure and its game over.

"Gotta try." I answer, preparing myself to strike. I can feel my muscles preparing for the fight of my life, for the one second that could spell the end for me, or give me the rest of my life. Sam just smiles and laughs, shaking her head and cursing slightly to herself.

"I'd expect nothing less." She whispers. Our eyes lock and I can almost feel the coldness of her blood. The way she can stare right at someone and pull the trigger. The way she can hear someone scream as she plunges her knife into them. Her body language shifts, her expression changes, and with a twitch of her mouth…

***BANG***

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><p>AN2: …Uh oh. So, tell me. Game over? Who won?<p> 


	28. Chapter 28

Disclaimer: This is AU. I do not own any of the characters from Grey's Anatomy. I just manipulate them to my will. Also, any line or phrase or setting that seems remotely familiar from any other show, movie or book, also not mine.

AN: Hey ya'll… another update. Yay! I would have posted this yesterday night, and I was going to. I was like a second away from pressing the upload chapter button but I just wasn't happy with it yet. So I took it down and started over. You all have stuck with this story from the start so you deserve a good chapter. Now… I left you all hanging with a *BANG*. Let's see how it unfolds. …Enjoy!

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><p>Chapter 28<p>

***BANG***

I lunge to the side just as a shot rings out.

***BANG***

A second round is fired a mere millisecond after the first. Two different shots. Two different guns. The first bullets hits its target. The second bullet hits its target. I don't know if it's the pain ripping through my body that sends me to the floor, or that in my attempt to subdue the woman that I end up falling myself, but I hit the deck hard. Sam falls next to me, the gun still gripped in her hand. My shoulder is on fire and the steady warmth spreading over my chest and down my arm tells me I've been hit. My clavicle catching the stray bullet fired off from Sam's gun after her hand clenched as she was hit from the first round fired.

"SEATTLE PD!" A voice yells, and it clues me in on my knight in shining whatever. My head falling to the side, down the hall I can see Detective Spade approaching with a swarm of SWAT members in her wake.

"FBI!" The men behind her call. I let out a sigh of relief. …_as always, the cavalry is right on time. _Blood flows out of my shoulder but I'm fine with that. Compared to what could have happened, I'll take a busted shoulder any day. SWAT swarm around us, one guy kicking Sam's gun away from her.

"Robbins…" Spade breathes out, kneeling next to me. "You alright, girl?" She asks. It takes me a second to piece together what the hell just happened. …_I should be dead. Someone aimed a gun at my head and pulled the trigger. I should be dead. _If it hadn't been for Spade firing when she did, if I didn't move when I did… I'd be dead. A fraction of a second is the only thing that kept a bullet from finding a home in my skull.

"Yeah, just peachy." I groan, then take one of her proffered hands and struggle to pull myself onto my feet. I keep my left arm tight against my body, preventing it from being jostled too much. …_damn it. Getting shot never gets any easier. I'm getting too old for this shit! _I push my way through the throng of SWAT to get to Sam who is lying on the ground. One of the men is holding a shirt to her chest, the color of her face slowly draining as her life seeps out onto the cement floor around us. I kneel down next to the woman, and lift the shirt to see how bad her wound is. It's a single shot to the right side of her chest, the largest mass of body available to Spade at the angle she was shooting from. …_fatal._

"I told you…" Sam says, blood leaking from her mouth. Her lung is quickly filling with the crimson liquid and her time is waning. Even IF we could get her out of here in time, there's probably very little anyone could do outside of an operating room. "Didn't I tell you? …You'd kill me." Her voice is faint, almost like a whisper.

"I didn't do this to you." I reply with ice in my voice. Even know I have no pity on her. She made her bed, now she's going to sleep in it forever.

"You walked into the building… You decided my fate then." The murderer groans, then coughs on her own blood. "You had to chase me…"

"I always chase. …And I always get my man." My eyes lock with hers and she lets out a deep, eerie chuckle. A gurgle then fills the air as she fights but her body finally gives up. One last fractured breath, and then her body goes limp, her eyes lose all life. The fingers of my right hand graze her forehead, then run down her face, closing her eyes. …_hope you spend eternity in the seventh circle of hell._

"Ma'am?" A guy asks quietly, a hand on my right shoulder pulling me out of my thoughts. "We need to-"

"Yeah, I know the drill." I say, cutting him off and standing. One last look at the lifeless body below me, I turn and walk up to Spade. She's squatted down, leaning back against the wall with her head in her hands. "Hey…" I say, kicking her shoe with mine. Her head snaps up and the light of the security lamp shines on her dark face.

"Nice shot." I say quietly, trying to judge how she's doing. Firing on another human being makes people react in many different ways, and I don't know how the detective handles it. I don't even know if this is her first deadly shooting or not.

"A second too late." She replies, her eyes landing on the still bleeding wound of my shoulder.

"Better than two…" I add, making her chuckle a little. "It was a good shot, Spade. I would have taken it too. You did what you had to."

"Thanks Robbins." She says, pushing herself back up. Her gaze drifts to the scene over my shoulder, the group of SWAT members calling in our location for CSI and the coroner to come down and get the body. "Come on, lets get you looked at. You're kind of bleeding all over yourself." She says, gesturing up and down the left side of my body. Spade and I fall into step, heading back out the way we came.

"So…" I start, about halfway back to the entrance hatch. "I thought I told you to hold fast. Actually… I'm pretty sure I ordered everyone to hold back."

"Yeah well… you pissed me off." Spade answers, making both of us laugh. "Besides, Altman said that you were probably getting your ass kicked. And since she's all gimped up now, a bullet hole in her leg and all… thought I might get to play Rambo today. I seem to owe you one 'save life' anyways, especially after that building collapse." My friend plays, having heard about me being called it after 'saving the day'.

"I will be glad to hand over that title to you. I think I've done enough 'Rambo-ing' in this case to last for the rest of my life." I state with a roll of my eyes. "I need a vacation. Like… somewhere with no psychopaths, no guns, no knives, no tasers. No nothing. Just me and my family." I accidently bump my left shoulder and pain shoots through my body. "That is… after I get my shit fixed." I add.

Once topside, I head to the waiting ambulance and climb in. I find out that Teddy was taken in an ambulance about a half hour ago, her injury not life threatening but needing immediate medical attention. We I see my bus mate, I'm greeted by a big guy in a lot of pain.

"Owen…" I greet him. "Mind if I bum a ride with ya?" I ask, patting him on his scraped leg, and he howls in pain. The ambulance takes off while one of the EMT starts to dress my wound, just to stem the bleeding. I'm feeling the effects of loss of blood, my head starting to spin and nausea but I fight to keep calm.

At the hospital, it doesn't take long for me to be recognized. The ER nurse manning the desk immediately places my face and darts to her phone, no doubt to page my wife. I'm ushered onto one of the beds in the open bay, right next to a very pale looking Teddy Altman. She's been stripped, and her leg is exposed. There is a young doctor in light scrubs working on stitching her up, a single bloody bullet sitting in a kidney bowl next them.

"Fucking hell…" Teddy breathes out when she sees who takes the bed next to her. "Well I'll be god damned… you're alive. Didn't you use up your ninth life like… ten years ago?" She plays, wincing when the intern tugs at her skin a little more than necessary.

"I'm a cockroach. Nothing can kill me." I reply, using the line the now deceased Sam said. This makes Teddy crack up, loving the fact that I just acquired a new term of endearment. Another intern is assigned to me, and my curtain is pulled to give me privacy as I am stripped and seen to.

"Robbins!" Teddy exclaims from the other side of the curtain.

"What?" I call back, wincing when the intern prods my shoulder too hard.

"Tim, Cal and the kids are on their way in. They were called when I was brought in, which means they should be here soon." Teddy tells me. "Have you talked to her yet?"

"No. Haven't had the chance." I answer.

"She's going to flip a shit. You know that right?" Teddy says.

"Yeah well… its all over so I'll take whatever punishment she hands out and take it gladly." I reply. Not ten minutes later I hear the signature chatter of Sofia and the babbling of Miguel. Tim's voice comes next as he greets his injured girlfriend.

There is some muffled talk, then I hear my wife yelp "What? !" Then my curtain is yanked back, five sets of eyes landing on me. Callie immediately closes the curtain again, shielding out kids from the sight of their battered mother. "Tim, can you-"

"Yeah, we got them Cal." Tim answers. I hear my brother tell Sofia to be gentle with Aunt Teddy, and not to bounce on her bed. Miguel squeals as he is being held by his favorite uncle. Callie slips back into the cordoned off area, her eyes soft and glistening with unshed tears. The intern working on me suddenly becomes very nervous, his hands becoming very shaky and unsteady.

"I've uhh… uhh… I've ordered xrays and scheduled an OR." He says, not able to meet the gaze of my wife.

"Go." She says, shooing him away. He readily leaves, and my wife takes his spot next to my bed. Surgical gloves snap on her hands and she starts an exam all of her own. Pulling down the shoulder of my hospital gown, she peels back the bandage and gasps as her eyes land on the circular wound bright red and angry looking.

"Is she dead?" She growls, anger mixing in with hurt.

"Yeah." I answer softly.

"Did you-" She starts, but I cut her off.

"No. Spade." I state. Her fingers professionally start to poke and prod at my body, giving me a thorough physical exam. Callie cleans some cuts on my face, but nothing bad enough needing stitches. It feels really stiff and sore, and I know I'm going to have some bruising. But I'm hoping its not too bad, I don't want to scare the kids. The sting of antiseptic makes me cringe when Callie gets to the cut across my stomach. It's not deep, not requiring stitches. But deep enough to sting and to bleed like a mother when the scab is broken. Besides asking the fate of our stalker, Callie remains silent. But I know the Latina too well. I can see her brain working.

"Calliope…" I whisper, grabbing both her hands with mine to still them for a second. "Look at me." Brown eyes slowly move to mine. "It's over. It's all over, ok? We're safe. She's gone, and I'm here. It's all over." With that, a sob escapes the usually strong Head of Orthopedics. She collapses down on the bed and buries her head in the crook of my neck, her body resting against my good side.

I hold her close, peppering kisses over the top of her head and in her silky black hair. "It's ok. It's ok sweetie. It's over. She's never hurting us again." Soft lips find mine and press firmly. There's a hint of salt with the kiss, her tears mixing with the taste of her tongue. Our kiss grows more and more passionate, the world outside our little curtained off area. Its an effort to keep my left shoulder still as my wife nearly starts to dry hump my right side, but I'm not complaining.

"Dr. Tor-" The intern starts, pulling the curtain back but stopping mid sentence when he sees one of his Attendings playing tonsil tennis with her wife. Callie gives the intern a look that could kill, but gets off my bed and returns to her usual professional self.

Teddy is soon discharged with orders to take it easy for a couple days. Her wound was more of a flesh wound than doing actual damage. The bullet didn't knick the bone, or severe any major arteries or nerve endings, but just happened to hit a muscle that bleeds like a stuck pig. Tim takes his girlfriend home to play the doting boyfriend, while Callie takes the kids up to her office. She sets them up with some made up beds so they can get some much needed sleep while I am taken to surgery. My injury, though not too serious, requires going under the knife to fix. A plate is screwed into my broken clavicle so the bone can remodel correctly, and the bullet extracted. It's a quick fix, and I'm in recovery within a couple hours.

When my eyes open, the first thing I see is soft brown eyes. "Hey…" I whisper, making her smile.

"Hey yourself. I see you finally decided to wake up." She plays. "Everything went perfectly, Arizona."

"Kids?" I ask, not hearing the usual warpath that follows our tiny humans.

"They're in my office. Sleeping. One of the night nurses is keeping an eye on them." Callie answers, and when she sees me stiffen, she adds "It Julia. You know her, you've met her. She's one of the good guys." I didn't mean to question her, its just that after this entire affair I've grown weary of trusting anyone.

"When can I get out of here?" I ask, testing my newly rebuilt shoulder but feeling absolutely nothing on my left side. …_ah, the miracle of anesthesia. _

"Not for a couple days, sweetie." Callie answers, her hands tracing over the bruised and sore skin of my face. "You need a break anyways. This whole thing has…" Her words fade out, having failed her in her attempts to properly explain what has happened.

"We all need one." I reply, making her chuckle and nod in agreement. "Come here…" I say, patting the bed on my good side.

"I can't." She says, giving me a look.

"You can." I tell her, patting the mattress harder.

"It's against hospital regulations." She tells me, like that would end the conversation.

"Screw hospital regs. You're not my doctor, you're my worried wife. And I'm injured. I got shot. I want you laying next to me." I say, making the Latina smile. "And if need be, I'll flash my badge." Callie chuckles, knowing that I'm NEVER afraid to use the perks of the FBI badge. My wife rolls her eyes, but peeks over her shoulder and sees the coast is clear. Careful of my leads and IV, she climbs into bed next to me, resting on her side with my arm wrapped around her.

"I think we should take a family vacation." I state, my eyelids seemingly wanting to close but I fight to keep them open.

Callie laughs softly and replies "I agree. Where do you think-"

"Disney World." I answer before she can ask.

"Is this a vacation for the kids? …Or for you?" She asks me knowingly.

"Both." I respond, pulling on my best smile after a big yawn. "Fun for kids and adults alike. Sofia can get all the princesses signatures and pictures. Miguel can… well, Miguel is a little small to remember it, but he'll still have a blast. And I know you are just a big ole softy so don't pretend like you hate the idea." Callie just gives me a huff, one that tells me that I'm right but she just doesn't want to admit it. I try to hold in another yawn as my head starts to bob up and down, but its out of my powers and my mouth opens wide.

"We'll see…" She says, trying to placate me. "But right now you need to sleep." Callie whispers into ear then teasing me with a kiss on my jaw line. My grip on her instinctively tightens, not wanting to let her go when she is so close to me. "It's ok, Arizona. You've done your job, now rest baby." And with that, my mind takes over my body and pulls me into the abyss.

I'm startled awake by my hospital room's door being pushed open and the sound of tiny feet slapping against the linoleum floor. A second later, a four year old is climbing up the side of my bed and tugging on things that really shouldn't be tugged on.

"Sofia!" Callie exclaims as loud as she dare in a hospital that is just starting to get going in the morning. Our daughter freezes and then immediately drops back down to the floor.

"It's alright, Calliope." I say tiredly. I go to lean over and help pull her up but my left shoulder protests and a yelp of pain falls from my lips. …_guess the anesthetic wore off._

"Arizona, you know better." A very tired looking Latina scolds me. With her one free hand she pulls a chair up close to my bed. "No sitting in bed with Mommy just yet, she's still has some boo boos. But you can sit next to her, ok mija?" Sofia mumbles something under her breath as Callie goes about setting down Mowgli's diaper bag.

"What was that little lady?" I give the tiny human a hard look.

"Yes, ma'am." Sofia corrects herself, knowing better than to take any lip with either of us. My family spends about an hour with me, mostly Sofia asking what happened to me and I trying to come up with less scary scenarios than fighting for my life against a psychopath who had a knife and a gun. A soft knock on the door draws attention to the entrance of my room.

"Hey…" Time says quietly, seeing Mowgli passed out in Callie's arms.

"Unk T!" Sofia squeals and bounds off her chair. My brother swoops up his niece and gives her a tight hug. Following Tim, Teddy enters the room, crutches adorned. The six of us sit for a while until Miguel starts to get fussy and Sofia tells everyone that she is hungry. Tim, doing that twin thing again, suggests that he and Cal go down to the cafeteria with the monsters to give my partner and I a chance to talk.

Limping over to the nearest seat, Teddy sits and lets out a deep breath. "You look like shit." I say, taking in her tired face and the way she hobbles around.

"Better than you." The taller blonde snaps back and we both laugh. "You talk to Spade?"

"No, I haven't had the chance." I reply. After getting to the hospital, I've been pretty out of it. I know the process, what happens after a fatal shooting. I've been part of one many times, so I know how the detective must be feeling. Along with that, there is the mess of the case to clean up and close out. AND processing and prosecuting any prisoners taken into custody. Lets just say… this whole thing may be over, but it's far from finished. …_and it's still a big cluster fuck._

"It was a stupid move." Teddy scolds me, her eyes staring right into mine.

"What's new?" I ask sarcastically.

"If anyone else did that, you would chew them a new asshole." My partner keeps going, not letting me lighten the mood.

"Can it, Altman." I snap. I don't need my subordinate chewing me out right now. Not when I'm in pain and stuck in a hospital bed. I know what I did was stupid and reckless and I could just as easily have been killed. I wasn't thinking about anyone except myself, the need to get personal vengeance. But its over now, the good guys won and the bad guys lost. …_lets just leave it at that._

"You know I'm right. Let's just hope that the Director and Internal Affairs look favorably on this whole mess." My visitor groans, then starts to massage at her wounded thigh.

"Damn it." I sneer. "I'm still getting reviewed?" I ask and Teddy nods. I would have thought what with me getting the bad guy, getting shot, and saving my family that it would have just been swept under the rug but… I guess the Director doesn't like me that much.

"Yep, and not only you now…" Teddy adds, giving me a hard look.

"YOU? !" I exclaim. "They are investigating you? …Why?"

"Because we're partners. And whatever you do, I do." Teddy answers, picking at a piece of imaginary lint on her sweats. I have to bite my tongue to keep from saying something VERY out of line about the Bureau. Because it's not really their fault, it's mine. I'm the one always challenging orders, but now its not just biting me in the ass, but my partner as well.

"I'll talk to them, Teds." I whisper, catching the agents eye. "You're one of the cleanest agents I know. Its me that drags you through the dirt."

"Yeah well…" My partners says with a small smile. "I don't put up much of a fight." We sit in a comfortable silence for a couple minutes when another knock makes us both look at the door. Dark eyes peek into the room, and then the homicide detective strides in.

"Morning ladies." She says with a bright smile. Her eyes scan the battered looking Agent Altman up and down, then turns to me, my face all bruised and swollen and my shoulder all bandaged up. "Wow… you two look like shit." This makes all three of us laugh as Spade pulls up a chair next to Teddy.

"So what's the word?" I ask, knowing that this isn't JUST a social visit.

"Well… the case is being reviewed. We've taken Frankie into custody, along with a handful of other known gang members." Spade explains. "Knox is still in Europe, a country that has a very strong extradition policy, and probably won't be coming back anytime soon." My eyes land on her bare hip, no gun holster there, as well as no badge on her belt. …_Another person bearing the punishment of my decisions. _

Just as I'm about to try and apologize for putting both of them through this hell, the hospital door opens and in bolts a very hyper mini-Calliope. Seeing that both chairs are full, she immediately scales the bed and plops herself in my lap.

"Sofia." Callie warns with a harsh tone and our daughter shrinks into me.

"It's ok, Calliope." I tell my wife, and Callie just sighs. Tim follows the Latina through the door, a bouncing bundle of boy in his arms. We immediately snap out of work talk and just enjoy the company of one another. Its been way too long that my family… extended family included… have just been able to sit and relax. No looking over the shoulder, no wondering who the next target is or when the next body will drop. So we relax, and we enjoy it.

Days later, I'm marching down a long hall of the Seattle branch of the FBI. My left arm is hung in a sling, my hip and ankle holsters are empty and my credentials are no where in sight. I've been summoned by the Director, and right now it feels like I'm about to face the executioner. I've been out of the hospital for about five days, and in that time I've talked to everyone and their mother about the case, about my past, about my history. And now… the verdict. I haven't been able to get in contact with Teddy today, and I have no clue what kind of punishment, if any, she received.

"He's waiting for you." The secretary says in a light, airy tone. …_I bet he is._ At the door, I take a couple deep breaths, adjust the strap to my sling and pop half of a pain pill so I will be able to make it through whatever is about to go down. With my good hand, I raise a clenched fist and knock.

"Come to!" The deep voice answers. One last breath and I push the door open. I enter the room and see the Director sitting at the head of his small conference table. Along one side of the table are three suits with stacks and stacks of paper in front of them. All eyes turn to me and I feel like I'm a raw steak being presented to a pack of ravenous wolves.

"Please take a seat, Agent Robbins." One of the suits say, gesturing to the side opposite them. He's large, very large… and has a toupee that doesn't even come close to passing as real.

"Special Agent." I correct him out of habit.

"Sit down, Robbins." My Director tells me. Biting my tongue, I take the center chair opposite my peers and wait. The three suits, one woman and two men, flip through their notes then all turn to me.

The woman pulls out a recording device, starts it and places it in the center of the table. "Supervisory Special Agent Arizona Robbins, you have been investigated by the Internal Affairs of the Federal Bureau of Investigation for acting outside of the law, disobeying direct orders, and placing both agents and civilians in unnecessary harms way." The woman reads. "During the investigation, your history and past performance have been reevaluated, as well as your career prior to joining the Bureau." I wince at this, because I know that my separation from the Marine Corps was less than pleasant.

"We have talked with your Director…" The older but more fit of the men continue. "As well as your partner, Special Agent Theodora Altman. It is this boards determination that we have collected enough information to make a ruling, which is why you are here today." I just let out a bored sigh, my eyes wandering the wall behind my jury.

"Do you have anything you would like to add for the record before we give our ruling?" The fat man asks.

"I've said everything there is to say." I answer, my mind racing back to the hours and hours and hours I spent going over each case I've worked on with an investigator. It seemed like every move I made, I had to defend.

"Director, would you like to say something?" The man turns to the large figure at the head of the table. I grind my teeth, expecting him to rip me a new one. He's been wanting to do it since I was transferred to the Seattle branch. He doesn't like me, I don't like him. Its not a secret around here.

The Director takes a deep breath, and I meet his gaze. "Supervisory Special Agent Arizona Robbins is the most challenging of all my Team Leads. She's stubborn, she's arrogant, and she doesn't know when to quit." My hopes that I may actually walk out of this office with my credentials reinstated start to fall. "But…" He drawls. "She is the most determined agent I have. She's stubborn because she needs to be. No one ever got anything done by sitting back and waiting. She's skilled, her instincts are second to none and frankly… she's the best there is." His words sink into me and if it wasn't for the chair I'm sitting on, I would be on the floor. …_holy shit. Where did that come from?_ My eyes find the Directors and I swear he gives me a smile. The smallest smile ever, but it was a smile.

"Noted." The fat man states, making me look away from my boss. "SSA Robbins… after an official review, the FBI Internal Affair's has decided to reinstate you in your current position after a period of one month of leave without pay. It is only because of the fierce loyalty and utter adoration your team and co-workers have for you that you have been cleared. You are reckless, dangerous, and involved in more deadly scenarios than any other agent in this branch. But after talking with the Director, we see that it is BECAUSE of your talent and your instincts that you are able to be so effective. The Federal Bureau of Investigation would like to offer its sincere thanks on placing a most wanted fugitive behind bars, and for upholding the creed you swore while becoming an agent." The three investigators start to pack up their files. When briefcases are snapped shut and they stand, I stand as well.

"That's it?" I ask, not believing that I've actually been cleared.

"That's it." The woman states, then holds out a hand. I take it and we shake. "Keep up the good work Marine." She adds with a wink. The suits file out of the room, leaving just myself and my boss. I turn back to the man and try to find something to say. "Uhh…"

"Surprised?" He asks with a genuine smile on his face. He walks around to the back of his desk and takes a seat in the plush leather chair.

"Yes. …Yes, sir." I answer, still trying to sort out what the hell just happened. "Did you really-"

"You're a good agent, Robbins. We may not see eye to eye all the time… or ever. But that's why I'm behind this desk and you are out in the field." He cuts me off. "I play politics, and you can't." He's right. I never expect to make Director. Too much ass kissing, and playing nice… it's not for me. "So, here's the deal. You take a month vacation. Take your family somewhere nice, enjoy some much needed time off. And when you come back, we'll go back to the way things have been. You pissing me off at every chance you can, and I make your life miserable. Just like always." He pulls out my badge and gun from a drawer and pushes them across the wooden surface of his desk. "Sound good?"

I smile and step up to his desk. My hand finds the badge, the one thing that separates me from the bad guys. "Sounds very good, sir." Slipping my badge into my suit jacket pocket, and holstering my weapons, I give the man a nod of the head and leave his office. Though I walk out with two guns strapped to my body, and the heaviness of a badge in my jacket, I feel lighter than when I walked in. Everything seems to be falling back into place. Some would balk at a month of forced leave, but not me. Not now. No… I'm definitely down for a month of nothing but some family time. And it's starting right now.

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><p>AN2: Alright ya'll… what you think? Arizona shot, but Sam dead? Better than the reversed. Spade stepped up, took charge. Arizona's investigation turned out better than expected. All seems to be going well. …One more chapter to come. Stay tuned.<p> 


	29. Chapter 29

Disclaimer: This is AU. I do not own any of the characters from Grey's Anatomy. I just manipulate them to my will. Also, any line or phrase or setting that seems remotely familiar from any other show, movie or book, also not mine.

AN: Yes! I know… FINALLY. Haha. This chapter gave me a major fight. There was probably… five versions of this. No lie. But I liked this one the best, even though I still… well, no. I'm not going to do that unsatisfied writers rant. So…enjoy! Yay!

AN2: Oh and I've decided to dip my toes into the twitter universe. Follow me ldunn1988 ('L' dunn. Not 'i' dunn.)

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><p>Chapter 29<p>

With the Directors blessing, I know exactly where I'm heading as soon as I step out into Seattle's gloomy afternoon sky. Walking into that building not an hour ago, I felt like I was walking the Green Mile, the last stretch of road you will ever travel before your life ends. But now… now it feels like I have my whole life ahead of me. My family is safe. A huge threat has been neutralized. And my job is secured. I'm nearly running to my car, but when I get there I see I have a stalker.

Hazel green eyes look me up and down with gusto, like if I was some sort of dessert she would eat me up. Even though she has just recovered from life threatening injuries, Sean Quinn looks no less amazing as the first time I saw her. Skin tight skirt, with a very revealing silk blouse on top. Heels that raise her what seems like a foot off the ground, and legs?... well, she's got em.

Before I can even catch myself, my eyes do their own scan of her body, appreciating the female in all its glorious form. When I catch her gaze, she gives me a knowing smile that tells me I just got busted.

"Ms. Quinn." I greet her coldly. The slight chill in the air is starting to make my shoulder ache, the half of a pain pill did its job by getting me through my review but it's now worn off.

Sean lets out a throaty laugh and leans back against the driver's side door of my undercover car, blocking my escape route. "Ms Quinn, huh? I think you and I are a little past formalities like that." The defense attorney plays. "Don't you think… Arizona?"

"It's Special Agent Robbins." I correct her, mostly out of habit but also because I do NOT want to have to tangle with this woman right now.

"Of course… Special Agent Robbins." Sean purrs. The twinge in my shoulder makes me reach into my right pocket and pull out my pill bottle, exposing my holstered weapon on my right hip. As I dry swallow my medication, hoping for a quick delivery, Quinn's eyes narrow and she asks "So I see you've been reinstated." Taking a step forward until she is only a foot in front of me, her hand reaches inside the front of my jacket. Finding my breast pocket, Sean slowly pulls out my credential wallet, her eyes never breaking from mine.

"Just now." I answer in a firm voice. Turning the tables on the sure woman, I state "I hear you're being charged with several accessory charges. Hope you have a good defense attorney."

"I have the BEST defense attorney there is." Sean replies, breaking eye contact to look down at the silver badge in her hands. "Me."

"You're defending yourself?" I ask in a tone higher than I would have liked. Usually I have no problem masking my emotions. But around Sean, it's a bit difficult.

"You sound surprised, Special Agent." Sean says cheekily, her finger ghosting over the raised edges of my badge.

"Just… defending yourself against those types of charges?" I say, shifting the sling over my shoulder a bit. "Bold move."

At that, hazel eyes dart up and pierce my blues. "You should know by now, Agent Robbins…" She growls, then makes a show of slowly pulling back the front of my suit jacket, skimming the front of my crisp shirt with the back of her hand and sliding my credentials back into the jacket's breast pocket. "I'm a bold woman."

The world around us seems to fade away, her hazel eyes sucking me in. I don't know how long our gaze stays locked, but finally all the racing of my mind becomes too much and I ask "Did you know?" Perfectly shaped eyebrows knit together in confusion, and I ask again. "Did you know what she was? How fucked up your girlfriend was underneath her shiny exterior?"

I can tell I hit a nerve because Sean pulls back an inch, giving herself more room to breathe. "No." She answers in a shaky whisper.

"I don't believe you." I fire back in a cool tone. Knowing I have her on the ropes makes me push harder. "You knew she was… off. Yet you kept your mouth shut. You're lucky you are ONLY being charged with accessory."

"You think I knew and kept my mouth shut? …When I ended up getting skewered like a fucking fish? No. NO." Sean exclaims, bringing us back to reality. I look around and see that we have caught the attention of a few other people who are moving in and out of the parking lot area. The relaxed nature of her face, even though she is yelling, tells me that the woman is telling the truth. At least… she didn't know about Sam's plan to unleash all hell on the city of Seattle and all that makes up my life.

Turing the tables back on me, she sneers "But you knew, didn't you? You knew going into that building that Sam was going to die." Sean must see a flash of surprise across my eyes because she adds "Yeah… I heard what happened in that broken down gym. Spend enough time at the Brick you hear things. Gossip flows through those walls faster then the plague." The blonde gestures over her shoulder at the Bureau building.

"Tell me Special Agent… how many lives have been lost because of what you do? The secrets you keep? The decisions YOU make?" Our gaze meets again, and this time its cold as ice. She steps close again, playing on the fact that her very high heels make her that much taller then me. Looking down her nose, a cocky grin plays across her lips. "I guess its no wonder why I'm so attracted to you, just like I was with her." My jaw clenches as yet another person compares me to the disgrace of a human being that Sam Bryne was. "…Two sides of the same coin." Sean says with a shake of her head. "But… you have the badge. Which makes you that much hotter."

Sensing that I am in no mood to be playing anymore, Sean takes a step back and sighs. "How about you and I go get something to drink?"

"I don't think that'd be a good idea." I say, reaching into my pocket and pulling out the keys to my car. With a beep, the doors unlock and I slide into the drivers' seat.

"And why not?" The defense attorney purrs, positioning herself between the door and the rest of the car so I can't close it.

"Because I'm in love with another woman." I answer with a grin. "And she puts you to shame, Sean."

"Please…" The taller woman scoffs. "NO one puts me to shame." I can see the disgust falling from those usually gorgeous eyes, and every second I stare into them is a second that I'm craving the eyes of my wife. I just laugh, then insert the key in the ignition and turn the engine over. Sean steps back enough for me to pull the car door to. Leaning over through the open window, the blonde asks "So… this is it? We're over?"

"We never started." I tell her, pulling my shades over my eyes.

"Your loss." She states, then takes a bold move and closes the small distance between us and places a kiss on my cheek. Before I can react, the woman has pulled herself out of the window as is sashaying away from the vehicle.

Calling after her, I tell her "You behave, Quinn."

Peeking over her shoulder, not breaking her sultry stride she calls back "Never, Robbins. …Never." With a smoky wink, the woman turns back around and continues on her way. All I can do is laugh and shake my head as one hell of a woman walks out of my life. When I flip down the sun visor in my car to try and shield the bright rays of sunshine from my eyes, I see the many pictures of my family I have pinned there. One of Callie and I. One of Sofia and Miguel. One of Tim with the kids, and one with just me and my baby girl. …My pride and joy's. …_my family puts everyone to shame. _Acting on a whim, I punch the car into drive and speed off into the bright horizon with one goal in mind.

Hours later, I try to juggle the large bouquet of roses on a raised knee as I use my only good hand to try and unlock the front door. My left arm hung in a sling, and very sore, is useless. Callie tells me I should regain function in a couple days, but right now it'd be the same as just cutting the limb off all together. When the lock clicks open, I push the door to and enter the warm home. I set my keys in the small bowl on the table right inside, and unholster my ankle firearm like always. Once the weapon is placed up high and out of reach of curious hands, I move deeper into the house.

"Hello?" I call out, the place seeming too quiet for two children to be in it. When I reach the living room, I see the reason why. Sofia is passed out on the floor, her stuffed dog clutched in her arms, and a slumbering Mowgli not three feet from her. My wife is spread out lengthwise on the couch, papers littered over her body and her eyes closed. The low singing of a musical number on the Disney movie playing makes me smile. Tiptoeing around the kids, I collect the reports the Latina was supposedly reading when she fell asleep and put them to the side.

When I sit on the edge of the couch, my right arm stretch across and bracing against the back, Callie jumps slightly and opens her eyes in surprise. A lazy smile crosses her face when she sees who interrupted her impromptu slumber, and a soft groan falls from her lips when she stretches her tired muscles. I lean over and place a kiss on her, soft and chaste. Her lips are warm and dry from her sleep, but they are still pure Calliope.

"Sorry I woke you." I whisper, pulling back a couple inches to look into her deep brown eyes.

"It's ok. I like waking up to this." She replies, pulling me back down for another embrace. When she looks for the papers she was working on, her eyes land on the dozen rose bouquet on the coffee table next to the couch. "Are those for me?" She asks, her eyes slowly rolling back to mine.

"Mmhmm." I answer, my right hand slipping under the shirt she is wearing and tickling the flesh of her stomach.

"I'm guessing your investigation ended well?" She chances, her back arching up into my touch as my hand moves more and more north.

"Very well. …In fact, I was given a vacation." I answer with a smile. Callie pauses, her eyes narrowing and brows knitting together.

"Really?" She asks disbelievingly.

"Well… I'm forced to take a month off. But I like my version better." I reply, making her roll her eyes and chuckle. "Now shove over woman, you're hogging the couch." A hand comes up to cover her mouth as a fit of giggles erupt when I try to squeeze between Latina and the back of the couch. Finally, after a little fight, we both get comfortable and strong surgeon arms hold me tight to her smoking sexy body. With our kids sleeping on the floor below us, my wife and I drift off into a light snooze, reveling in the very unusual peace and quiet that has fallen in our usually hectic home.

That weekend, it's such a beautiful fall day that Callie and I decide that the only way to spend the last few remaining Seattle sun rays is by having a picnic at the local park. After packing the kids up and their enormous luggage required to take a four year old and a nine month old anywhere, we pile into the car and head out.

At the decently sized family park, Sofia helps Callie and I pick out the perfect spot. Beneath the shade of a tree, on soft grass and positioned between the small lake and a jungle gym. The Latina sets us up while I make Sofia recite the safety pledge to me again, along with our magic word.

"Alright, now what did I say?" I ask, zipping up her coat alittle further.

"Always stay where I can see you." Sofia replies for the tenth time.

"And?" I state, giving her the look only a mother can give.

"And don't eat the sand." My daughter giggles when I tug on her jacket a bit.

"Good girl, now go have fun." With a light slap on the butt, I watch as brown pig tails go bounding off towards the playground, looking for other tiny humans to play with. It's a constant battle with myself to let her out of my sight for even the shortest second, but I know that it needs to happen. Sofia needs to know that all is ok, all is normal. That what happened to her shouldn't take away her innocence and childhood.

"She's ok, Arizona." Callie says, wrapping her arms around me from behind and placing a kiss on my cheek.

"I know." I breathe out. I force myself to relax for the good of my family. No sense in ruining a fun day out with my incessant worrying, even though I made sure Sofia wore the shoes that have the GPS chip in them, and Miguel has his is anklet with a chip of his own. …_can never be too careful._ After an hour of relaxing, a soft knock to my shoulder makes me turn around. Standing there in jeans and a hoodie is a very comfortable looking Sharice Spade. Her detective shield clipped to the waist of her jeans and gun holsters to her hip. …_she's a cop alright._

"What's up, Robbins-Torres family?" She asks playfully, kneeling down and giving the soft brown curls on Miguel's head a gentle tousle. Spade hangs around for a couple minutes, just messing around, then turns to me and asks "You got a minute?"

I catch the eye of my wife and she takes Miguel from my lap. "Go on, I got the kids."

"Thanks, Calliope. I'll stay in sight." I tell her, and with a peck, stand and head off out of earshot. We migrate towards the edge of the pond and take a seat. The calm waters in front of us so different from the bustling activity of the playground next to it. Spade catches me up on the multiple cases being tried right now. She cues me in on Sean, and her accessory charges. I learn that Frankie is getting off with the least serious charges, and because he pleaded guilty, if he plays nice in jail he will be out by the time he is 35. Somewhere during our chat my mind drifts back to Sean's last few words to me. How she compared me to the monster that was Sam Bryne. Actually it's not just now, but her words have echoed in my brain since she walked away. …_and it's not just her. Sam said the same thing. Internal Affairs said I was dangerous and unpredictable…. Even Teddy compared me to the low lives I hunt down. I'm just as dangerous. I take as many lives as they do. How am I any better? How am I making a difference?_

Sensing the heaviness of the atmosphere that has descended around us, Spade nearly whispers "You have a beautiful family, Robbins."

"Thank you." I reply with a small smile. We watch as Callie bounces Miguel happily on her hip as Sofia runs after a couple ducks that are waddling next to the shore. "You know… the Bureau could use someone like you." I state after a couple silent minutes. "You ever think about moving up?"

Spade gives a small laugh then answers "I've thought about it… actually about two years ago I put in an application but got passed over. For the best I guess. …I'm happy in homicide." My friend catches my eye and smiles. "I don't think the FBI could handle Teddy, me AND you anyways." I break eye contact and turn back to my smiling family. My wife is breaking apart stale bread and handing it to our children to throw to the swans and ducks that have collected around them.

"I'm uhhh… I'm thinking about stepping down." I say softly. After this case… what I put my family through? I can't let that happen again.

"What?" Spade gasps. "Why?"

"I just… I don't know." I answer, my eyes locked on my happy family just twenty feet away. "It doesn't seem worth it anymore. …To put Callie and my kids through it. They deserve a mother, Callie deserves a wife she knows is going to come home at night. They deserve someone who puts them before anything else… and doesn't place them in harms way. And this past month? …I've failed at all of those." I have to blink hard a couple times to clear the tears that are threatening to fall.

"No you didn't Robbins." Spade tells me. "Yes, your family was targeted. But it was you that made it safe again. It was you who… who made it right. You brought justice back to the world." I hear her words, but they don't seem to make it into my brain… because I've had this same argument with myself a thousand times in the last few days.

"At what cost?" I whisper. My mind races back through my years and years of service to my country, both in the Marine Corps and as a Federal Agent. "I don't know if I'm doing any good anymore. …To anyone. I just… I don't know if I can take it anymore. The weight… the guilt… the bodies…" My words fade out as images of people race across my vision. The faces of all those who no longer live because of me, my trigger finger, because I said that they had lived long enough.

Slowly nodding her head, understanding what it feels like to take a life, she asks "What's your count?" Dark eyes remain on the still water in front of us, afraid that if our gazes meet… too much will fall from our lips.

"With Sam? …41." I answer. Everyone like me has a count. Everyone who has ever taken a life, who carries a gun and is intent on using it has a count. A count of how many lives have been taken out because of you. How many flames have been extinguished. "41 people have died because of me. Because of my judgment."

"And how many would have died if you didn't make that call?" Spade rebuttals.

I let out a heavy sigh and hang my head in my hands. "That's not the point Spade."

"That is the point, Robbins." My friend fires back, a tone in her voice telling me that she's getting upset. "That is exactly the point. You and me? We make the world safe by tracking down the few that hurt the masses. We have jobs because people need us… depend on us to keep them and their families safe." I know her words are true, but still… when you've taken as many lives as I have, when is enough enough? My eyes watch the ripples in the water created by Sofia playing at the shore, Callie having a good grip on both of our children as they play next to the pond.

"Everything I do at work… I bring home to my family." I say in a whisper.

"That's not-" Spade goes to argue me but I cut her off.

"Even if I don't mean to… it happens. Just like the ripples on this lake. At one end, my family plays happily. Creating waves of joy and smiles and warmth. But… just one of these…" I say, picking up a golf ball sized rock and chucking it into the center of the lake. "Just one thing can cause a panic. Even though I try to distance my work… the ripples of the two will eventually meet." I watch as the small waves created by Sofia and the ripples created by the rock move closer and closer together. And when they meet… _tsunami._ "That's what its like to take a life, Spade. One shot, one bullet, one kill. And your mind starts to ripple, your soul becomes unsteady. …And it clashes with your happiness."

"But if we sit here long enough, the waters will still again. The only waves left will be the ones of your family." The detective counters, taking another rock into her hands and rubbing it gently.

"True… but the rock will still always be there. It may not be seen but it's there. The lake can't go back to how it was before. It's been changed forever…" The detective and I lapse into a calm silence.

"There will always be a ripple in the water, Robbins." Spade finally says. "It's up to you to determine the size of the rock." With that, the homicide detective gives my leg a pat then stands. Without so much as a backwards glance, Sharice pulls her shades down over her heads and strides out of the park and towards her car, leaving me with a lot of questions and not enough answers.

Later that night, the house is full of activity. Sofia and Miguel are happily playing with a new set of toys that their Uncle Tim bought them 'just because', my brother and his girlfriend each have a beer clutched in their hand and lazing around on the back porch. Just like earlier today, tonight is a beautiful fall evening. A light breeze is in the air, and the skies are clear. I have the grill warming up and a plate full of burgers and hotdogs just waiting to be cooked up.

"Hey Zebra…" Tim says, stepping up next to me. "How about I take the reins?" He chances.

"I got it, T-Man. I may be shot, but I'm not handicapped." I play, getting a laugh and a dimpled grin out of my twin. Then the next thing I know two strong hands are gripping my upper arms from behind and pulling me away from the grill.

"No offense, but barbequing is a man's job." He plays, switching the spatula in my hand with the beer in his. I just laugh and take a long drag of the alcohol beverage, sighing as the crisp liquid flows down my throat. I stand next to the male image of myself, or at least how I think I would look like if I had junk, and just laugh at the kids antics. Miguel is teetering around, trying to run after his sister as Sofia is going crazy with the new dance ribbon Tim bought her.

"Arizona…" Tim says quietly and in a tone that he rarely uses. I think the last time I heard that tone was when he told me that he was being shipped out to the sand for another deployment. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course." I answer, giving him my full attention.

"Do you… Do you think… I mean, if I…" He starts and stops. I've rarely heard him ramble like this and it makes my heart start to race a little.

"Spit it out, T-Man." I tell him, giving him a slap on the shoulder. He gives a forced laugh and then takes a deep breath, trying to find the right words he is looking for.

"If I asked Teddy to marry me, will she say yes?" He finally spits out, so fast that it takes me a second to sort through the single string of words. But when I get it, a smile crosses my face. Tim is just like myself. On the outside we may look like we have it all together, that we never doubt our actions, that we are solid and sure of ourselves. But what people don't see on the inside is how much we question what we do and think.

When I don't answer for a good thirty seconds, my brother starts to panic. "It's too soon, isn't it? Shit. I knew it. Why did I buy that ring already? God, I'm so-"

"No!" I exclaim alittle too loudly, making the otherwise engaged agent and Latina snap to attention. Trying to play it off, I continue "No… Miguel's is without cheese, Tim!" I give him a shove for good measure. When I peak over my shoulder, I see that the other women have bought my little cover and are not engrossed in whatever they seem to be talking about.

Turning back to Tim, I lower my voice and step a little closer to him. "I mean, no… I don't think it's too soon." The life in my brothers eyes immediately returns, a bright sparkle now shining from baby blues. "I think she would say yes. Absolutely."

"Really? You… you think she would say yes?" He asks again and all I can do is smile and nod.

I chance a glance over at my partner and see nothing but a smile on her face and joy in her eyes. "Oh yeah… she will definitely say yes." I tell him. Then turning back to the blonde, I ask "Can I see the ring?" He too peeks over his shoulder just to make sure that our women are engrossed with each other and then pulls a small velvet box out of the pocket of the light jacket he is wearing. When the box opens, my mouth drops.

"Tim!" I gasp. "It's… gorgeous."

"She'll like it?" He asks, turning the box in the evening's sunlight to make the diamond sparkle even more.

"Teddy will love it." I tell him. "You got good taste little brother." With that, our little heart to heart is over and we are back to teasing and picking on each other.

As if on cue, Callie comes up behind me and wraps her arms around my waist. "If I had known that it was going to take this long to cook dinner, I would have eaten first." My wife growls in my ear.

"Tim is the man in charge, not me." I reply, sending my brother a wink as a consolation for throwing him under the bus.

"From the look on your face, Cal, and the way Zebra's hair was all messed up, I kinda thought you DID eat before dinner." My brother fires back. And before I know it, my wife has unraveled from around me and thrown herself at the man in front of the grill. I loud boisterous laugh comes from Tim as he wrestles with his sister-in-law.

After a small dog pile, dinner goes on as scheduled, just as most family nights do. Looking around my dinner table its hard to believe that the last month's events have even happened. Sure, I have the achy bullet hole to remind me, but everyone seems to have bounced back perfectly. The kids seem brighter and more alive than ever, and my wife… well, let's just say that Callie has been a very very caring nurse for me many times. But still, those words of Sean and Sam and the investigators still haunt me. Even over the loud laughter that resonates out of my family, those chilling words weigh me down.

After burgers have been eaten and marshmallows have been roasted, Tim and Teddy get their good night kisses from the kiddos and the happy couple leaves. On his way out, I give Tim the 'call me' gesture, wanting to know when and if he ever pops the question. With the very busy day that the kids have had, being in the park most of the day and then running around outside again tonight, it takes very little to convince them that it's time for bed. Once both exhausted tiny humans are passed out in their respective beds, my wife and I head to our own bedroom looking for a good nights sleep.

When Callie comes out of our ensuite bathroom, I'm already changed and in bed, my eyes looking straight up at the textured ceiling of our room. The Latina changes into a pair of shorts and a tank top, then slides into bed next to me.

Sensing something is wrong, she softly asks "You alright, sweetie?" A hand sneaks under the hem of my shirt and rests on my stomach. "You seemed kind of… distant during dinner." My very astute wife informs me.

"Yeah. Yeah, Calliope. I'm fine." I tell her, my eyes remaining locked on the ceiling.

"Really?" The Latina questions. "Because… when I was getting changed, you didn't peek. And you ALWAYS peek." Propping herself up on an elbow, brown eyes find my gaze and hold it. I can feel her reaching deep within me, gently coaxing out all of my demons. She's the only one I have ever really felt safe around, even when she was in danger and I was the one that was suppose to be protecting her. She was the one that protected me... from my mind.

"Do you believe in hell, Calliope?" I ask softly.

Brows knit together in confusion, but she answers anyway. "I believe in heaven… so in theory, I'd have to believe in hell as well."

"Am I going to hell?" I ask in a whisper, my voice catching in my throat. I have to look away from her soulful eyes in order to keep the tears contained within mine.

"What?" Callie gasps. "No, Arizona. No… how could you ever think that?"

"The things I've done…" I reply, still not able to meet her eye even though a hand has drifted to hers on my stomach. I squeeze hard, trying to ground myself to her. To this beautiful, wonderful, breathtakingly stunning woman who… for some reason… picked me to spend my life with. "I've done terrible things, Calliope. Awful things. And I-" I'm cut off with a hand over my mouth.

"Arizona…" My wife breathes out. "For as long as I've known you, you were the one who stood up for the little guy. You've fought against crime and terror, and you make the world a safer place." When the Latina sees that her words… the same ones that I've tried to tell myself, the same ones Teddy has told me, the same words Spade used… when she sees them just bounce off me, a sigh escapes her lips.

"Do you really think I would love you… marry you… have a family with you if I didn't think you were the most amazing woman who has ever lived?" My wife tries another tact. "The way you are with Sofia and Miguel, so soft and caring. How loving and committed you are to me? …And then seeing you strong and brave, chasing down bad guys and saving the world… You, Arizona, are everything this world needs. And you are everything our family needs." Finally her strong hand moves from my mouth and her lips find mine. The kiss is slow and loving, my wife showing me just how deep her love is for me. Somewhere during it, I get pulled on top of her, my center resting between her legs.

When our lips part, I'm staring down at the most beautiful woman ever created. Plush lips part slightly and a sweet breath washes across my face as Callie whispers "I'll support you in anything you want to do, Arizona. If you want to leave the Bureau or not. But never think that you aren't good. There's a reason why you do what you do. Why you have the badge… It's what you were born to do. It's what you're great at. And it's what makes you… you." Instead of saying anything, I lean back in and show my wife how much she means to me. Pushing the bad thoughts and images of lost faces out of my mind, I focus on the sight of a breathtakingly beautiful Latina before me, my amazing daughter sleeping soundly in her pink Disney princess bed just down the hall, and the steady breathing of my baby boy filtering in through the baby monitor. All is as it should be. All is peaceful, all is right. And who am I to mess with perfect?

* * *

><p>AN3: THE END! Congratulations, you all survived another wild ride with SSA Arizona Robbins. Whew, had a few close calls there but everyone is happy and healthy again. That's all that matters. A big thank you to everyone who stuck with it, and even the new readers who and just joined the party. Yall are awesome!<p>

AN4: Ok so… now that this one is finished, many of you have asked what the next story will be about. So here is my predicament… I'm running out of ideas. I mean… yes, the possibilities are endless but its always the same thing over and over isn't it? Bad stuff, they meet, maybe more bad stuff. Fighting, breaking up, getting back together… and in the end, happily ever after. Which is all fine and well because with these two, everyone wants a happy ever after. I know I do… Anyways, I'm going out on a limb and saying I'm only going to do a couple more stories. (Country Girl is going strong because that has a strong, so no worries there.)

So I'm going to put it to a vote. I've had many many many people write me with requests on a story to write, like I did with 'That Summer'. That story was done at a request of a reader. So either leave word in your review, private message me, or you can let me know via Twitter ldunn1988 to cast your vote.  
>So here's the possibilities: (And if you have another suggestion, by all means let me know)<br>-Bite the Bullet Part 3  
>-Arizona a firefighter, Callie Ortho surgeon<br>-Arizona is a new comer on the US Softball Team that is ramping up to head to the Olympics. Callie is a veteran player  
>-A rendition of 'The Notebook'<br>-Both Callie and Arizona go through Marine Basic together  
>-Post-Apoqolypic fic where its man versus man just to survive.<br>-A college fic where our girls meet pre-med/ med school  
>-And… lord help me if ya'll choose this one… a Hunger Game like story.<p>

So there are your choices, now get to voting!


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